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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

 
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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL... - 5/7/2018 5:39:21 PM   
Gunnulf


Posts: 686
Joined: 10/31/2012
Status: offline 		So, we assessed the damage. Could have been much worse for sure. Lots of damage on the way there, lots of damage from the reception committee. But we are ashore, one less beachhead than we'd have liked but c'est le vie. We're not getting to Berlin without cracking a few eggs. Might not get there at all obviously, we'll see! Its almost like Liquidsky doesn't want that to happen... With a full corps ashore the peninsula should be relatively secure but certainly not easy to break out of. Luckily we have other plans afoot.
Meanwhile 8th Army crosses the Messina straits in requisitioned pleasure cruisers in style without a shot fired. I was half expecting the FJ tribe to at least try to buy a week or 2 further delay here. Of course the neck is almost as easy to defend. Also of note the Luftwaffe is conspicuous by its absence still but I have a feeling I know why and they certainly won't stay silent forever.
And finally Corsica and Sardinia flip without a shot. The latter not surprising but I can't see too much benefit to not putting a few units to use securing the Italians and forcing an invasion, even if its emptied later. But I'll take the gift as a gesture of goodwill.








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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL... - 5/10/2018 12:59:41 PM   
EwaldvonKleist


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Joined: 4/14/2016
From: Berlin, Germany
Status: offline 		Thank you for the AAR, a good read.

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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL... - 5/10/2018 3:22:18 PM   
LiquidSky


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It's probably going to be a bit quiet for a while...bad weather has arrived, and I don't expect any devestating invasions until the airbases on Corsica/Sardinia are built up.

Popular invasions sites are right in front of Rome, and on the Adriatic around Pescara. The Rome invasion site is a bit chancy because you need air cover. For that you need Corsica...and the Germans can bomb it. I tend to favour the Adriatic side, as the coast is more clear..and the Foggia airfields are very very useful.

Invading around Naples is kind of dangerous...and should probably only be done if you are driving north from Reggio and are past the neck.

The plum of the Italian campaign is Rome though. By itself it is worth a lot of VP... I made a mistake last time I played when I gave up Rome. This time I am going to fill it with supplies and park the FJ in it. Also build up a bunch of forts around the city.





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Post #: 33
RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL... - 5/10/2018 10:34:31 PM   
Gunnulf


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Joined: 10/31/2012
Status: offline 		25 Sep 43 - Turn 13

Yes, all quiet on the southern front at the moment. 5th Army consolidates the Brindisi PoW camp/beachhead and scopes out the opposition, which of course is considerable. Meanwhile 8th Army crawls up the toe from Reggio, though they will no doubt hit a wall at the top of Calabria. But at least we are so far saved the ignominy of a failed landing and the prospect of -400VPs. Its not too hard to avoid, but certainly not a certainty... Most of the Mediterranean air force is ensuring the sea lanes so far so losses low and morale high. In fact morale fairly high everywhere in the air, I tend to make my first action to filter on anything with a morale lower than 49 or 55 depending on how generous we are feeling, and fatigue higher than around 25 to rest, but usually its only a handful of units as the Luftwaffe isn't engaging too hard. That's keeping his numbers up but our fighters are only going to get longer and longer ranges and more numerous as time goes on. We'll see.
VP wise we advance +11 overall due to the bombing campaign and low losses and low partisan operations. The bombing is still not reaping stellar results very probably as Liquidsky is keeping a lid on things by deploying all his construction units in the Reich. But I guess if they are clearing rubble there they are not building defenses elsewhere... Ok, so I might be being a tad optimistic there.






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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL... - 5/11/2018 12:19:47 PM   
LiquidSky


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Aerial reconnaissance of Corsica shows no allied aircraft at all. Which makes it seem doubtful that an invasion is planned for in front of or north of Rome.
Which makes me think that the invasion will be a more conservative one either between Naples and Rome, or just south of Naples.

With Rome being worth 8 vp's a turn in 1943, and 5 points a turn in the first half of 1944, I must garrison it and the surrounding area. At least until I see all 6 amphibs committed.
Losing Rome in 1943 is almost the equivalent to his strat bombing campaign.

Luftwaffe Reich is in excellent shape. I've never seen it looking so good. Hermann just won't shut up about it at parties. He vows allied bombs will never fall on Berlin.

Oh....this is interesting. Apparently Jodl was sacked some time ago. Guderian is now in charge of OKW. He probably would have been better off in a Panzer Corp HQ.

Near Brindisi....the LXXVI Panzer Corp attacks the lone British 5th Infantry division and despite what looks like over a hundred Shermans...is forced to retreat back down the Peninsula. Unfortunately, RECON picked up the presence of a British Tank division, and Gen. Herr prudently neglects to pursue.







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Post #: 35
RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL... - 5/11/2018 12:23:18 PM   
LiquidSky


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Meanwhile, the FJ continue their retreat north to functioning rail lines with the 8th army in hot pursuit.




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Post #: 36
RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL... - 5/11/2018 2:35:50 PM   
Gunnulf


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Status: offline 		*disclaimer: Size of cat not representive. Actual FJ divisions may contain traces of Tiger.

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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL... - 5/13/2018 12:39:51 AM   
Gunnulf


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Joined: 10/31/2012
Status: offline 		2 Oct 43 - Turn 14

In which revenge is extracted against 76th Panzer Corps, or at least it is on the second attempt. No major breakthrough but a small step towards making the blocking position around Taranto untenable. Unescorted FW190s flying tactical support are dealt a heavy blow into the bargain. Not that it matters much.
8th Army continues the long march through Calabria, with Croton secured to provide more convenient supply than from Reggio, although the rail engineers are in hot pursuit to establish a rail link as well.
Elsewhere the bombing of the Reich continues, albeit in less than perfect conditions. Targets being the Ruhr for Bomber Command, and central Germany for 8th AF. Bombing points maxing out at +10VP, with a rare +11 so I suspect thats the ceiling, but at least overall the VP counter is moving in the right direction despite the ground losses.





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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL... - 5/14/2018 4:06:04 PM   
LiquidSky


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One thing I am noticing that is a lot different then last time I played...there are a lot less German units to throw about. Ideally I would love to have a division in every port, and the mech/panzer divs in somewhat striking distance....

But there isnt enough. And to make matters worse, some of my guys are leaving. 3 panzer divisions and 3 infantry divisions over the next few turns. One of which the 1st SS which is almost single-handedly garrisoning Northern Italy. My recent infantry reinforcements have to replace it.


But as it stands, I am holding the line at Taranto....not much chance of a breakout there. I am holding the line at the neck near Lauria with 3 FJ divisions and a Panzer Grenadier....weak, but hopefully enough to slow him.

The 1st and 4th FJ show their mettle by attacking and pushing back the 46th British division. However every attack makes your defence weaker, so this may come back to bite me.


I try to follow a strategy of containment. When the allies land, I try to hem them in for as long as possible....and attack only if there are odds of 3 or more to 1 (in units)

The Air war is ...strange. Usually I am hanging on by my fingernails, praying for bad weather. But my fighter squadrons are near full strength, and I have over 100 pilots in my pool. I keep every non-fighter squadron on RES, and put all the fighter squadrons on TPI. I recently lost almost all my tactical bombers because I didnt set their altitude. Not healthy to fly at 15k feet.

My bombers are having fun for now. I have them interdicting the sea zones along the Western coast of Italy on the enemy turn only. This is a trick I used to good effect in another game when I did it around Normandy...and bought a couple turns until the allies bombed the crap out of my airfields. If you fly on your own turn, you interdict logistics. If you fly on the enemy turn, you interdict movement.







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Post #: 39
RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL... - 5/15/2018 11:50:12 PM   
LiquidSky


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Not much going on now....Turn 18.

Heavy rain over Germany...no bombing.

And this is the Italian front. I am guessing that rain is preventing a new invasion in Italy, but I am also wondering if he has pulled everything back to invade either Southern France or even cross-channel?






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< Message edited by LiquidSky -- 5/15/2018 11:51:31 PM >

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“My logisticians are a humorless lot … they know if my campaign fails, they are the first ones I will slay.” – Alexander the Great

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Post #: 40
RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL... - 5/16/2018 8:31:46 PM   
Gunnulf


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Status: offline 		Turns 15-18

Yep, time marching on. I did write a big update for turn 16 but it didn't upload properly and was lost and didn't have the energy to re-write it all and travelling a lot for work this week. But in short, bit of a pause in operations due to the weather, plus time taken to organise logistics etc... In south Italy no point bashing against a brick wall at this point with zero chance of progress. I find myself in situations like this as the Axis you want to actually show a little leg to tempt an attack and draw some casualties, especially when there is plenty space to fall back. As it is we have avoided the no beachhead penalty and we can put the effort into the invasion of Greece. More to retrospectively update when work settles down a bit.



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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL... - 5/25/2018 11:20:49 AM   
LiquidSky


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Nov 21, 1943.

The weather report calls for two large low fronts to move over Europe and Italy....so I take a chance and I bomb the airfields in northern Corsica with 80 stukas. I managed to destroy about 7 aircraft on the ground, but I do damage the airfields. No fighters rise up to engage, but recon tells me their are a few hundred fighters parked on them.
There are a few hundred extra tac planes in my pool, so I feel I can be reckless with them.

I am taking another chance by not retreating any further up Italy. He can have the boot. Or shoe... I don't really want him to have the Foggia airfields, but will have to give them up when the weather clears.





1943 is rapidly coming to an end, so the VP's should drop because of bad weather...then drop again as the divisor's go up for city and bombing points. Essentially halving them per turn. I suspect that the allies will be hard pressed to gain vp's in the first half of '44.


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< Message edited by LiquidSky -- 5/25/2018 11:26:29 AM >

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“My logisticians are a humorless lot … they know if my campaign fails, they are the first ones I will slay.” – Alexander the Great

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Post #: 42
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