Red Prince
Posts: 3686
Joined: 4/8/2011 From: Bangor, Maine, USA Status: offline
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And here it is, my End of Turn Report for M/J '41: Partisans No Partisans Pre-Build Scrapping CW scrapped 1 x FTR-2 USSR scrapped 2 x FTR-2 Minors Added Germany added Finland's units to its Force Pools USA adds Brzilian, Mexican and Panamanian units to its Force Pools Strategic Bombing CW conducts a Strategic Bombing Raid on Lille, Roll = 7 = 1 PP Destroyed CW conducts Strategic Bombing raid on Paris, Roll = 5+1 = 6 = 1 PP Destroyed USA conducts Strategic Bombing raid on Brussels, Roll = 6 +1 = 7 = 1 PP Destroyed USA conducts Strategic Bombing raid on Cologne (Night Mission, intercepted), Roll = 9 = 1 PP Destroyed CW and USA conduct a Strategic Bombing raid on Essen, Roll = 10+1 = 11 = 2 PP Destroyed USA conducts a Strategic Bombing raid on Dusseldorf, Roll = 9+1 = 10 = 1 PP Destroyed Totals: 7 German Production Points Destroyed Convoys Destroyed Attack on Vladivostok: Assault, Roll = 8 = */2S (SUB rebases to Petropavlovsk, CP intercepted using CL Katori, Roll: 4, Allied Roll: 8 .....Japan spends 8 Surprise Points to Increase Columns .....Japan Destroys 3 Soviet CP Germany initiates combat in N. Atlantic, using SUB 4837; Axis Roll:2, Allied: 10; Axis selects the 0 Section only; Germany chooses Submarine Combat .....Allies Damage SUBs 4835 and 4837 .....Germany spends 10 Surprise Points to Increase Columns .....Axis Destroys 2 French, 5 Panamanian, 4 CW CP, Aborts 1 CW CP Italy initiates combat in N. Atlantic, using SUB 5043; Axis Roll: 1, Allied: 10; Axis selects 0 Box only; Axis chooses Submarine Combat .....Axis spends 4 Surprise Points to Decrease Columns, 6 to Increase Columns .....Allies Abort SUB 5043 .....Axis Destroys 6 CP, Aborts 1 CP Totals: 20 Allied Convoys Destroyed (10 CW, 2 French, 5 Amercian, 3 Soviet) Builds: China (0): Nothing CW (10): 1 x INF Division, 2 x CP, 1 x FTR-2, 2 x Pilot France (0): Nothing USA (55): 4 x MIL, 1 x CAV, 1 x ARM, 1 x AT, 1 x Supply, 8 x CP, 1 x SUB(1st), 2 x CVP-1, 1 x SynthOil, 2 x TRS(2nd), 3 x Pilot USSR (17): 1 x INF, 4 x MIL, 3 x GARR Germany (23): 2 x INF, 1 x INF Division, 2 x FTR-2, 1 x FTR-3, 2 x SUB(Repair), 3 x Pilot / 1 x Kiev SS MIL (free), 1 x Vasslov CAV (free) Italy (17): 1 x MIL, 3 x TERR, 1 x LND-3, 1 x LND-4, 1 x Pilot Japan (22): 2 x TERR, 1 x AMPH(1st), 1 x TRS(1st), 1 x FTR-2, 1 x NAV-3, 4 x CP, 2 x Pilot / 1 x Saigon MIL (free), 1 x Vladivostok MIL (free) J/A '41 Gearing Limits (above 1): China: Extinct CW: 2 x Infantry, 2 x Ship, 2 x Air, 3 x Pilot France: None USA: 5 x Infantry, 2 x Cavalry, 2 x Armor, 2 x Artillery, 2 x Supply, 7 x Ship, 2 x Submarine, 3 x Air, 4 x Pilot, 2 x Factory USSR: 9 x Infantry Germany: 4 x Infantry, 3 x Submarine, 4 x Air, 4 x Pilot Italy: 5 x Infantry, 3 x Air, 2 x Pilot Japan: 3 x Infantry, 5 x Ship, 3 x Air, 3 x Pilot Conquest: & Liberation British North Borneo cc by Japan Sarawak cc by Japan Brunei cc by Japan China cc by Japan .....China selected USA to control Naval Units Germany liberated Latvia Germany liberated Estonia CW liberated Nyasaland Factory Destruction: None Reinforcements: CW assigns 2 Pilots to FTR, 1 to NAV-2 CW places 2 FTR in London, NAV in Glasgow, 2 TRS in Liverpool USA assigns 2 Pilots to FTR, 1 to NAV-3 USA places MIL in Veracruz, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Mexico City, Panama City, New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago USA places HQ-I Clark, INF and MECH Division in Boston, NAV and 2 FTR in Botson, MOT in Fortaleza USSR assigns Pilots to FTR-2 and LND-4 USSR places MIL in Sevastopol, Sverdlovsk, Moscow, Kharkov, FTR in Moscow, LND in Gorki, PARA and HQ-I Koniev in Voronezh USSR places INF in Tula, Siberian INF and ART in Rostov, GARR in Krasnodar, MECH in Kursk Germany assigns Pilots to 2 FTR Germany places Supply in Vienna, FTRs in Magdeburg and Saarbrucken, ARM and MECH in Breslau, MIL in Kiev Italy places MIL in Venice, TERR in Berbera, Nairobi, Mogadishu, HQ-I Badoglio in Trieste, SUB in La Spezia Japan places TERR in Palembang, Saigon, INF, HQ-I Yamashita, 2 CA, 2 TRS in Tokyo, CP in Bangkok, MIL in Saigon and Vladivostok Trade Agreements: Germany alters its Trade Agreement with Italy, making it 3 non-Oil resources France creates new Trade Agreement with USSR, sending 1 resource Victory Totals Axis: 40 Allies: 26 (27-1 for aligning both Brazil & Mexico) ----- Okay, everyone. Brace yourselves. You ready? Allied Initiative is failing. It goes from bad to worse, and then to "you've got to be kidding!" ----- Initiative: Axis wins the Initiative 8-8 (Allies demand Re-Roll) Bad Axis wins the Initiative 3-2 Worse Axis chooses to move first in J/A '41 Turn 12 J/A '41 Axis wins the Initiative 8-8 (Allies demand Re-Roll) Axis wins the Initiative 3-2 Axis chooses to move first in J/A '41 +1 Allied Initiative Impulse: 1 Weather: 1 You've got to be kidding! (Fine everywhere) ----- For the Allies, things could not be worse right now. They worked hard to gain the Initiative advantage, and it paid off last turn, but this is the crucial turn . . . and they failed to gain the Initiative this time, and also moved down to +1 on the Initiative track. Add to that the 1 in 10 chance of Fine weather in the Philippines, India, Southeast Asia, and a critical part of Africa -- during an impulse that will almost certainly require the CW to take a Naval Action -- and it's even worse. Here are some of the most significant problems: *The Soviet retreat may not have a chance to begin properly, with the possibility of Ground Strikes and Attacks creating major problems. *With a little planning, the defender in Kerch can be overrun, and the ARM can still cross the strait, setting up a future attack on Krasnodar. Anyone have directions to the Turkish border? *Even if the Allied fleets had not been forced to regroup, the Japanese and Italians can now easily set up an overseas supply path to Iraq and Persia with a force strong enough to maintain it. *Part of the USA fleet has reached Aden, but the big CVs and BBs are still only as far as Adelaide, so there is virtually no way they can contest the Arabian Sea. *2 CW transports will likely be trapped (and/or sunk) in Bombay. *A land move by the Italian HQ-I Balbo this impulse, followed by a rail move next impulse, could lead to the liberation of Teheran by mid-turn. *Part of the Japanese Arabian Sea fleet includes a MAR Division which could invade the Seychelles, Oman (leading to Trucial Oman and Bahrain), or possibly the coast of Aden (unlikely). *The Commonwealth and American SUB fleets don't have the range to be a threat to the Japanese convoys, allowing Japan to take a Combined Action rather than a Naval Action, and letting them take advantage of the Fine weather impulse. And these are just the big problems. The CW has an INF that could take back Mandalay and the Burma oil within 2 impulses, and they could take advantage of the weather to move up in East Africa and close in on the enemy Marines sitting on the Indian coastline if they take a Land Action to start Impulse #2, but they are unlikely to be able to expand the beachead in Denmark. In fact, they may not even be able to stop a devestating Ground Strike by the Italians on HQ-I Alexander . . . the North Sea CVP aren't very strong, and there hasn't yet been an opportunity to swap out the relatively weak FTR defending there with a stronger one. The USA is starting to build up a nice selection of units. They have a good number of TRS and AMPH, and the CW has 3-5 that can be used to help out, too. I'd like to be able to land one of the American HQs in Murmansk, but I don't think they are in position yet since it's only the 2nd turn of the war for them. It won't be long, though, before they can make a difference, I think. Counting 2 convoys as 1 unit, the USA built 21 units this turn . . . and that was only due to gearing limits. Having 55 BP to spend this turn (one resource couldn't reach Belfast), the USA nearly out-produced all 3 Axis major powers combined! It won't take long to build out the Force Pools at this rate, and to start advance-building some key units. The only question remaining is if they can do it before the Soviet Union collapses completely . . . The USSR is dead. They may be able to hold on in some fashion for a few more turns, but if this turn lasts as long as the last, the Axis double-move is going to destroy them. Even before I knew the Axis was going to go first I was worried. The convoy losses in the Atlantic, combined with a questionable Soviet position, made me decide to send only 1 resource to the Soviets this turn -- from France in Senegal. The Archangel factories don't arrive until next turn, and it's possible that Kalinin will fall on the first impulse of this one now. I could have sent a BP or two to Murmansk and/or tried to get 5 through Archangel to Moscow, but with no Persian or Siberian route, Archangel possibly cut off this turn, and a shortage of convoys, I thought it would be best not to waste them. ----- From the Axis perspective, things could not have worked out better. Japan's convoys are fairly safe this turn, and a 3rd impulse Naval Action should be able to keep them safe. The campaign in India might not work out now that the CW has heavily reinforced it, but there are other opportunities all around. Taking the Philippines is just a matter of time now, and the Combined Action invasion will probably be in the Seychelles or the Maldive Islands. There are 3 other divisions that can sail next impulse to invade the Arabian peninsula and other distant lands. Not to mention the 2 Marines, 3 AMPHs, and 6 Transports at their disposal. If Italy or Germany can liberate Persia this turn, it's time to build 3 fresh convoy points, spread over the next 3 turns since only 1 can be placed in aligned minors each turn.The first gets set up on the coast of the Caspian Sea, and 2 of them go in the Persian Gulf. This creates a supply link to Turkmenistan, and allows the Oil resources to go through the Persian Gulf into Basra, then overland to Italy or Germany. Italy would be the better choice, since Germany is likely to have fewer chances to take a Naval or Combined action. On the main front in the war against Russia, Germany is going to leave Leningrad and Sevastopol alone. 6 units can keep them from breaking out for the next few turns. The primary goals here are to break through at Kalinin/Moscow and Stalino, and to get 4 Corps to the Turkish border, one way or the other. If the pincers can be closed at the end points of the Soviet lines, it's possible that a good portion of the Red Army can be tackled before it gets as far as the Don. Kalinin may be the more difficult of the 2 cities to take, since it has less German air cover available, and Stalino has 3-4 fighters and a few bombers that can be used against it -- with only 1 Soviet FTR to cover each city. Whatever comes, this should be an interesting turn, indeed. ----- A look at the Initiative and Weather Rolls for the start of July, 1941:
Attachment (1)
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Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done and why. Then do it! -Lazarus Long, RAH
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