RE: Solitaire game starting late '42

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EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/14/2021 10:35:09 PM)
Despite a 3 and 2 factor carrier air bomber on the Allied side, heavy AA fire (lucky roll) means no damage was done, and then the fleets lose each other.

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/14/2021 10:42:53 PM)
Germany is loathe to divert anything from the eastern front but they do rail in a cavalry to Rome, so there are 9 factors of Germans in Rome now. The Italians don't have a whole lot to do, they shuffle a couple of units around but their positioning seems pretty good to me... for what its worth given they can be attacked from just about anywhere. [image]local://upfiles/10259/B149F52BFD604D0699162C5C2610708B.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/14/2021 10:47:35 PM)
Surely as soon as it stops raining Malaya will be swiftly Japanese. That actually looks like overcommitment to me given Japan is not exactly flush with transports. I assume they will go back to China to the quagmire or maybe go for Australia given Brisbane is already in Japanese hands. But they won't get Singapore this turn so it'll probably be something like March 1943 before they can really land which will probably be too late. [image]local://upfiles/10259/E448433EBAD94BD7BD17325DD5284953.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/14/2021 11:33:25 PM)
Well, Nov/Dev 1942, Impulse 1 begins. Notable deployments, BB Hood is back, repaired, the US continues to churn out materiel of all descriptions, Italy somewhat misguidedly gets a crappy SUB, some ship repairs and a new pilot which means a CR42. Germany gets almost entirely ground troops, enough to require 4 cities to spawn them all. Some are going to Italy. They also get one old FTR-2 having bought a pilot, that is based in Munich and is going to Italy. Japan gets the Toryu fighter, Hata, who is going to China, and a GARR, as well as CA Shropshire which was captured at Brisbane and a carrier plane. Russia gets piles of infantry and artillery and 2 FTRs, but they are really woefully behind the Luftwaffe and the board looks scarily bare for them even so. Fine weather all over so impulse 1 is going to be a big one. No doubt Malaya and Russia will be hit, Italy will probably be OK as the CW needs to do a naval action first. I imagine the US will take an air action for the strategic bombers in the UK to get a good hit in.

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/14/2021 11:35:25 PM)
Next turns's reinforcements... [image]local://upfiles/10259/0F19DB38076748608AC2D4D74F5346CB.jpg[/image]

Orm -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 12:28:43 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: EUBanana Germany is loathe to divert anything from the eastern front but they do rail in a cavalry to Rome, so there are 9 factors of Germans in Rome now. I suspect that if Italy surrenders, then the Italian front are going to cause Germany a whole heap of trouble. Maybe beefing up the Italian defence a bit could be a good investment for Germany? Thank you for this exciting AAR report. [:)] Edit: BTW, are the Allies, and Axis clear on the different conditions regarding conquest of Italy?

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 4:40:43 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Orm I suspect that if Italy surrenders, then the Italian front are going to cause Germany a whole heap of trouble. Maybe beefing up the Italian defence a bit could be a good investment for Germany? Yeah, with that lucky amphibious landing there's been a bit of a reassessment in the German high command. It so happened that that turn a lot of ground reinforcements arrived for Germany too, so they are going to send some more troops to Italy for sure. quote: Edit: BTW, are the Allies, and Axis clear on the different conditions regarding conquest of Italy? To be honest I've never got this far before so I have no idea what happens in the event of the conquest of Italy. I'm not playing with any house rules on the subject or anything like that. I assume if Rome falls the Allies will get the lot - hence why Germany was quickly railing stuff to Rome soon as it was under threat.

Orm -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 4:53:12 PM)
Well, the Allies do not need Rome to conquer Italy. They only need to beat the Italian garrison value now. Although they look to be a bit from doing that right now. This assuming that they control Tripoli. They already got a printed factory in Taranto. So rebasing some Allied air into Italy, and conquest seems close to me (although some land units doesn't hurt either). Cut from RAC: Italy is conquered when any 3 of the following 4 are true during this step: • The Allies control Rome. • The Allies control Tripoli. • The Allies control any printed factory hex in Italy (apart from Rome). • The Allied garrison value (see 13.1) in Italy is greater than the Italian garrison value there (remember, Sicily is part of Italy).

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 5:30:13 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Orm Well, the Allies do not need Rome to conquer Italy. They only need to beat the Italian garrison value now. Although they look to be a bit from doing that right now. This assuming that they control Tripoli. They already got a printed factory in Taranto. So rebasing some Allied air into Italy, and conquest seems close to me (although some land units doesn't hurt either). Cut from RAC: Italy is conquered when any 3 of the following 4 are true during this step: • The Allies control Rome. • The Allies control Tripoli. • The Allies control any printed factory hex in Italy (apart from Rome). • The Allied garrison value (see 13.1) in Italy is greater than the Italian garrison value there (remember, Sicily is part of Italy). Ah, they don't control Tripoli. Though it should be quite easy for them to walk in any time they want.

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 8:23:49 PM)
Nov/Dec 1942, impulse 1, decent weather. Allies win initiative. Nationalist China takes a land, CW takes a naval after some thought, US takes air, USSR takes land. I actually ponder an O chit for the USSR because crushing that German breakthrough seems good but the Luftwaffe gives me pause, the storm of defensive ground support seems too risky, and the Germans would throw it all in just to stop the chit. Only naval air is a Vildebeest to Western Med and a Beaufighter to Cape st Vincent. the Sunderlands stayed at sea last turn, and Malta's naval air got wiped out over the summer. It's a bit odd as the AAR started after that but a huge air battle in the Med basically resulted in Italy losing all their Sparvieros and the BF110 escort while the Allies lost their P38 and Beaufighter FTR-3 and naval air so the Med is back to fleets not LBA at least for now. Msotly boring stuff, covering convoys. Ark Royal/Hood enter the Med intending to go to the Far East and help out there. The Canucks at Palermo are loaded onto an AMPH in the Med, which is filled with warships in the 0, 1 and 3 boxes. Some old BBs go to the 2 box of the Bay of Biscay to keep Bismarck bottled up. Thanks to winning the initiative, supplies to Malaya are opened as a convoy point goes to the Bay of Bengal and the RN there goes to the 0, 1 and 3 boxes to try and defend it. But thats only 19 naval factors total and no air power, it'll cost the Japanese effort to remove it though. A British sub goes to the 1 box of the south china sea from India for giggles. Worth a try. Unsurprisingly it doesn't find anything. [image]local://upfiles/10259/66AD0E117689444FAE3745015EDABEB2.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 8:29:36 PM)
Essen and Cologne are bombed by the Americans. No damage at Cologne, but Essen is hit pretty hard. There is a German engineer present though so the damaged factory is neither here nor there really. [image]local://upfiles/10259/688BDB0E45594DA3B304A894ACB88B6D.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 8:32:59 PM)
Chiang tries to assist Mao (he does have the decent army after all) again but the Japanese are no slouches in the air, having invested in long range fighters which dispatch the only decent tactical bomber the Allies have in China despite the Flying Tigers. [image]local://upfiles/10259/9D8590D046894BCB81195019058DAA77.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 8:35:08 PM)
Similarly not a lot of luck bombing Naples, which is the only hex the Allies might advance in southern Italy I think. [image]local://upfiles/10259/5B3733301BD2411FABAF83046874696A.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 8:46:42 PM)
After rearranging their forces more to be on the eastern side of the Dnieper, there's one attacks thats just too obvious even without the O chit. But look at all that German air power. There are a few decent Russian FTRs there as all they do is build FTRs and infantry more or less. I suppose given the time of year its a decent enough risk to attritt the Germans on land and air. [image]local://upfiles/10259/5E9D880FCE004CBFA62660DE85D2254E.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 8:50:36 PM)
It seems to me that defensive ground support is one of the most effective uses of air power at least at this stage of the game, so Germany responds naturally. There are casualties. [image]local://upfiles/10259/9FE48B14F00C44748EC136C3BC904E76.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 8:53:02 PM)
The USSR is fairly lucky for once in stopping one of the bombers and then getting a decent roll, so that was definitely a good counterattack, cutting off the tip of the spear. [image]local://upfiles/10259/A874677E52084ACFA71631D2AAFF1BF8.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 9:07:42 PM)
And that's it for the Allies. As the Allies got their navies in position the land action for Germany is a no brainer. Italy does a combined as they dont have a lot to do really, and so does Japan, to attempt to disrupt supply in the Bay of Bengal at the same time as attacking ground forces in Malaya. 4 CVs and 3 cruisers go to the 2 box of Bay of Bengal, a Nell to the 4, and the one sub that wasnt damaged last turn to the 3. The Italian navy death rides into the 3 box of the Italian coast to see what happens. Predictably they get caught by British carrier air and bombed, and lacking the naval factors to do anything even if they break through they call it quits. It's just the only way for Italy to try and throw a spanner in the works is to hope they can catch a TRN or something, but its slim odds. [image]local://upfiles/10259/40D47813DC994E7F940749552227B8F1.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 9:10:44 PM)
With the Nell in the 4 box the Bay of Bengal is a dangerous place, and sure enough the IJN catches the CW. But the same is true in reverse, so it's not actually the convoy point in the line of fire, yet. Manchester and Sussex are sunk while Dorsetshire is aborted. [image]local://upfiles/10259/CBA7A4DB91244A0F9B08D8FA1A5C6D4E.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 9:15:33 PM)
In the end its the Nell that breaks through the convoy point. CA Birmingham is sunk, Gloucester is aborted, and the convoy point is sunk. Japanese naval air is bad news. Nice try CW. They abort, no reason to stay and be bombed to scrap any more. So do the Japanese, as I clicked the wrong button! I'll just not be cheeky and send another convoy point to the Bay of Bengal this turn to take advantage of that error. [image]local://upfiles/10259/FBEE86BA2A504D22B9F493B7F113C18C.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 9:41:46 PM)
This is why the Luftwaffe has just been dominating on the eastern front... Terrible luck. The Russians have about the same number of fighters (1 bomber versus that German horde though), but a slight quality advantage. It avails them not, as they keep getting waxed in the air. Kharkov and the hex NE of Rostov are heavily bombed, 2 disorged units in each. The Japanese bomb the South Africans at Singapore, who are not yet disrupted (though out of supply), but do not disrupt them. German ground forces attack Rostov, which is a swamp but only has a GARR in it, Kharkov which is heavily defended but badly disrupted, and the clear hexes SW of Novgorod where their tanks give them an advantage. An escorted Il-2 manages to help the defenders at Rostov while it's I-15 buddy keep the Heinkels at bay. [image]local://upfiles/10259/3F3BD780E2CD438598DC314B2E5E3215.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 9:45:26 PM)
Rostov falls, though it was a pretty good roll required thanks to the Il-2 changing the odds quite heavily. The Germans power through Kharkov on a 15, losing nothing while the 11 factors of defenders are wiped out. But the assault near Novgorod fails completely, all attackers disrupted, so that front will remain a backwater for a while it seems. [image]local://upfiles/10259/0BBADBB6D0E14018848584C01ED14C05.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 9:48:20 PM)
The Japanese aren't so lucky, being bogged down in Malaya against the elite Indians. They win but it's a fairly pyrrhic one. Still, made use of the good weather to push forward while they can. There's been fighting in Malaya since early summer '42 I think, it's certainly not going easy. [image]local://upfiles/10259/51A6DDD54EBF46CF80B76693F1C8E18C.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 9:52:40 PM)
The southern end of the Eastern Front after the German attacks. The Russian defence feels tissue-thin to be honest. The lines of both are being stretched quite a lot but the German units are quite significantly better, and they have a lot more armour. All German armour units in the force pool (not build aheads) are on the board I think, or were at the start of the turn. You can see reinforcements railed in to Berdiansk and also Voronezh for the Russians, but its bad militia vs crack armour. The disrupted here don't matter so much as I assume the weather will go bad next turn. [image]local://upfiles/10259/FC800DEF76844033A09E9197D315648B.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 9:56:05 PM)
The northern end is proving much less fruitful though, seems like this stalemate will continue for a while despite German reinforcements trickling in. The Russians are sending most of their stuff to the south, but Gomel is a good spot to drop troops right into the fray of both. [image]local://upfiles/10259/9EC612B5D3944EF3875EA7F44FF2B321.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/15/2021 10:01:06 PM)
Looks like the winter offensives will continue as the weather remains unusually good. I've had summers worse than this... This is probably bad for Italy as the CW can take a land action now and get properly stuck in. The CW is a bit short of ground units, aside from a few in India there was nothing to hand really, short of stripping Italy which doesn't seem that wise given they seem to be winning atm, to send to take Tripoli. There isn't any coming in the future either unless the CW starts building them right now. And of course they pop up all over the world. [image]local://upfiles/10259/6EED264A37FC4691B999872CCB78C8CC.jpg[/image]

Courtenay -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/16/2021 6:57:12 AM)
The US still isn't at war with Japan? Or did I miss something? They should be getting 3 chits a turn, so I am shocked they aren't at war with Japan. What is US entry? The fact that there are no German fighters in Germany looks like an open invitation to Allied strategic bombing.

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/16/2021 9:29:12 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Courtenay The US still isn't at war with Japan? Or did I miss something? They should be getting 3 chits a turn, so I am shocked they aren't at war with Japan. What is US entry? They have a 40% chance to declare war on Japan atm. They've been using their actions to move stuff forward in the Pacific in readiness though, they will probably declare war pretty soon so Japan can't surprise their way into the Philippines for free. quote: The fact that there are no German fighters in Germany looks like an open invitation to Allied strategic bombing. Yeah, the Germans focused pretty exclusively on the eastern front, but they have quite a few fighters coming in as reinforcements now the strategic bombing is beginning in earnest and the Soviet airforce has been decimated. They will start to challenge all the B17s. The US has been mass producing strategic bombers and pilots for a while now, atm its been costing them about 3 or so points a turn but its clearly going to get worse unless they do something about it. The Soviets just had yet another bad few impulses in the air so there's not really that many Soviet aircraft to shoot down right now.

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/16/2021 8:16:02 PM)
Impulse #3, nov/dev 1942. With a naval action coming up anyway the US attempts to declare war on Japan, 40%, succeeds right away. US takes a naval action, everybody else a land action. US puts naval air over Central Pacific (Hudson in the 4 box) and Marshalls ( Lightning/Catalina in the 4 box). Submarines deploy from Tarawa, Manila and Dutch Harbor to the Bismarck Sea, China Sea and Marianas. The US pretty much has 1 convoy point everywhere in the Pacific including Japanese territory but also a few spares in Pearl Harbor - none of the convoy points move for now. The fleet at Suva deploys for a hopefully easy grab of Efate from the New Zealand Sea. [image]local://upfiles/10259/846152A32CF8421CA1B54AF03C158865.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/16/2021 8:32:06 PM)
The rest of the Pacific Fleet masses around Hawaii. On the east coast 2 INF, 1 LND-3 and 1 LND-4 are loaded onto transports and witrh an escort end up in the 1 box of Faeroes Gap. A TRN at New York takes an INF to Cape st Vincent. Only possible engagements are from submarines. The American sub in the China Sea is sunk by the Kate on patrol there. But in the Marianas the American subs sink the unguarded convoy point there. [image]local://upfiles/10259/932210F5A3A34107A45CAE1571954696.jpg[/image]

EUBanana -> RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 (7/16/2021 8:44:47 PM)
The Nationalist Chinese try to night bomb Shanghai, given there's not much else for it to do the Nick in range will try despite it being night. The Nick succeeds in aborting the bomber. The Commonwealth Wimpey in Palermo ground strikes the Italians at Naples, 1 unit is disrupted. An Indian INF is railed to Bombay, this guy is probably going to go for Tripoli. The Soviets adjust the southern frontline a bit, to try and shore up the area around Rostov so the Germans have something in the way of just going further east without fatally weakening anywhere else. They have quite a lot of arty in the north but as it's raining they don't use any. [image]local://upfiles/10259/051AF90FA4404332A83F72166211A89A.jpg[/image]

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