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RE: T5 - 6/18/2018 10:37:46 PM

xhoel

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Situation on the toe after Axis moves:

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Post #: 31

RE: T5 - 6/18/2018 10:48:43 PM

xhoel

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Casualties Ground T5:

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< Message edited by xhoel -- 6/18/2018 10:49:16 PM >

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RE: T5 - 6/18/2018 10:49:56 PM

xhoel

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Casualties Air T5:

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< Message edited by xhoel -- 6/18/2018 10:50:12 PM >

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Post #: 33

RE: T6 - 6/22/2018 9:31:29 PM

xhoel

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T6, 7th of August to 14th of August
Situation report [Northern Europe].

RAF Bomber Command continues bombing the Ruhr, this time without the follow up from the Americans. The British take moderate losses, around 80 bombers lost while we lose 13 night fighters in the exchange. The heavy industry and coal mines in the Ruhr have taken a heavy hit and it is becoming a challenge to keep them running.

The 8th US Air Force targets the U-Boat pens in the north and falls into our well prepared trap. It suffers heavy losses in the raids against Kiel and Hamburg (where it launches small scale raids of about 20-30 planes). Around 70 bombers are lost on the raids against Hamburg and an additional 110 bombers are lost on the raids against Kiel. This brings the Allied total of losses over the Reich at about 260 bombers. Our fighter losses are as follows: 25 fighters defending Hamburg and 55 defending Kiel.

Loss totals to include our Italian Allies are as follows:

The Interception over Kiel:

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 6:33:30 PM >

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Post #: 34

RE: T6 - 6/22/2018 11:59:10 PM

xhoel

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T6, august 7th 1943.
Situation report [Italy].

The Americans and British forces have cleared Sicily almost completely. The Schmalz PzGren Brigade has been destroyed in the fighting for the island and a cadre is being formed in Germany to reform the brigade. The remaining Italian units, badly supplied and with little support surrender as well. The port of Trapani is cleared and only Palermo remains in our hands, defended by the Aosta Division which held back determined assaults by the 2nd US Armored Division last week. The division is evacuated this week under heavy enemy fire. One transport ship is lost causing the death of 1.300 men and wounding around 3.000 others. Meanwhile the British push up on the toe, however their advance is slowed down by the Italian divisions and bad terrain. The XIV Panzer Corps forms a defensive line at the start of the toe. Reinforcements are arriving in Italy week after week to help form a solid line of defense. The main concern now is Sardinia. Should the Island fall, the Allies will gain air bases that can reach southern Germany.

The defense of Palermo:

Positions on the toe after German moves:

XIV Panzer Corps defensive line:

The Bifena Line and the defenses around Rome:

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 6:36:08 PM >

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Post #: 35

RE: T6 - 6/23/2018 12:10:11 AM

xhoel

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Losses T6:

Ground:

Air:

< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 6:37:34 PM >

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Post #: 36

RE: Gotterdammerung, GC 43-45 Xhoel (Axis) vs Hghx-0 (WA) - 6/25/2018 8:12:55 PM

xhoel

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T7, 14th of August-21st of August 1943
Situation report [Northern Europe].

Due to the heavy losses suffered 2 weeks ago, both the RAF Bomber Command and the US 8th Air Force scale down their raids over the Reich. The number of sorties has dropped dramatically, 7.000 sorties less than 2 weeks ago, even though total losses for the Western Allies are again high (410 planes lost, of which 204 are LBs, 382 pilots KIA).

Shown below, air losses from last week:

Sorties flown last week:

The Ruhr was the main objective of the week and both Commands focus on the industry rich region hitting the targets with back to back raids. The size of the raids is relatively much smaller than usually at around 80 bombers (instead of the normal 150 for the British and 600 for the Americans). Where our fighters intercept, the bombers suffer heavy losses. In 5 occasions as displayed below, the Americans suffer a loss rate average of 18%. In other engagements the loss rate is around 5-6%.

Heavy Losses for the 8th US Air Force over the Ruhr:

We suffer our heaviest losses this week in the skies above Essen, where the Americans prepare a well laid fighter trap that costs us 13 Fighters (out of 30):

Other than that while losses appear high they are not that concerning. Out of 149 FBs lost during the week, around 55 planes were lost in Italy, most of them belonging to our Italian allies. An additional 24 Night fighters were lost in interception missions against RAF Bomber Command. The British try a daring raid, and hit the U-Boat Factory at Danzig with mini raids of only 4 planes per raid. Surprisingly their move pays off, the raids are only intercepted over the Danish straits and the U-Boat factory is almost knocked out of production at 48% damage. Priority repairs are ordered and the Air Base at Koenigsberg is activated and will be receiving a fighter group in the next weeks, responsible for the air defense of Danzig.

Damage estimates:

The Industry in the Ruhr region has taken a beating with the heavy plants (heavy industry) at Duesseldorf, Wuppertal, Duisburg and Bochum knocked out (more than 50% damage). Priority repairs have been ordered immediately to get the plants operating again. Coal production has been hampered but production is still going on except at Wuppertal (55% damage). In the north, the U-Boat Factory at Kiel has been knocked out and priority repairs have been ordered to fix the damage done as soon as possible. The factory at Hamburg has taken some damage but is still operating. The Bf 109G-6 factory at Regensburg continues to be non-operative due to the extensive damage it has suffered even though repairs are going on at full speed. The factory is at 59% damage.

Damage reports for the different industry sectors:

Fuel Production -12% damage
Heavy Industry -14% damage
Manpower -2,7% damage
Resource Production -11,5% damage
Synthetic Fuel Production -9% damage
U-Boat Factory -26% damage

German Industry Overview:

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 6:48:30 PM >

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Post #: 37

RE: Gotterdammerung, GC 43-45 Xhoel (Axis) vs Hghx-0 (WA) - 6/25/2018 10:03:29 PM

xhoel

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T7, 14th of August-21st of August
Situation report [Italy].

There was a lot of activity in the air last week over Italy. The Tactical Air Force launched surprise attacks on our air fields at Foggia and near the heel. Our Fighters were on standby and managed to engage the British, causing them to bleed for every bomb they dropped. The heaviest fighting takes place at Foggia where 102 Axis fighters engage 56 British ones. The results look grim: 8 German fighters lost and 25 Italian. The British suffer 20 A2A losses. In another instance 24 German fighters engage 96 British ones and down 17 of them while losing 9 fighters. While the results are impressive considering how understrength the fighter groups are in Italy, such battles of attrition do not play to our strength. The JG 53 has been transferred near Rome where it will R&R.

The following images show the results of British bombing runs and Axis interceptions:

Air Battle at Foggia:

Air Battle east of Taranto:

In other news the Italian Air Force has begun a restructuring of its air groups in order to better manage the air situation over Italy.

< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 6:51:05 PM >

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RE: Gotterdammerung, GC 43-45 Xhoel (Axis) vs Hghx-0 (WA) - 6/26/2018 10:46:59 AM

xhoel

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Italy, Ground

On the Ground the Americans enter the city of Palermo that was declared a free city last week while the British keep pushing up the toe. The XIV Panzer Corps remains on the defensive at the entrance of the toe while the II SS Panzer Corps arrives in Rome and takes command of the German units there. The ports of Bari, Brindisi and Taranto are reinforced by Italian units to fend off any possible landing in the area. The 16th SS Sturm Brigade has been evacuated out of Corsica this week and transferred in the area around Rome. The 1st Fallschirmjager Division moves to the Bifena line to bolster the defenses there and to help with the construction of fortifications. More units are expected to arrive next week as well as the headquarters of the 10th Army. The invasion of Sardinia is expected at any time now.

General overview Italy:

XIV Panzer Corps defenses:

The ports of Bari, Taranto and Brindisi:

The Bifena Line and Rome:

Sardinia:

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 6:53:07 PM >

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RE: Gotterdammerung, GC 43-45 Xhoel (Axis) vs Hghx-0 (WA) - 6/26/2018 10:54:24 AM

xhoel

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T7 Casualties Ground:

T7 Air Losses:

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< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 6:54:39 PM >

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RE: T8 - 6/30/2018 4:57:42 PM

xhoel

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T8, 21st of August to 28th of August 1943.

A recent report from the Abwehr has revealed an important change of command for the Western Allies in Italy. Based on reports from our agents, a new theater commander has just arrived in Tunis. He will be taking command of all western Allied forces fighting in the Mediterranean [ground, air (with the exception of Strategic Bomber Command) and naval]. Our agents know little about the new commander, other than that he has an excellent reputation among his peers as an experienced commander. To us he is only known by the nickname: Mr.Bimmler. We will have to wait and see what consequences this change will have.

Clarification: Mr. Bimmler will be joining the GC on the side of the WA. He will have command of WA forces in the Mediterranean (except for the Strategic Air Command) while Hghx-0 will have control over the Northern European front and the respective air commands. I welcome Mr.Bimmler to the game wholeheartedly.

Situation report [Northern Europe].

Last week marks the worst week the LW has had since the beginning of July. Our losses amount to 110 FBs (92 German of which 8 lost on the ground in Italy) while the enemy suffers only 226 planes lost, 103 of which are LBs. The reason for such equal loss ratios has been the continued offensive by both the RAF Bomber Command and the 8th US Air Force over the Ruhr. The Western Allies continue their back to back day and night raids carried out by the much smaller bomber groups (usually composed of 80 bombers). The freshly rotated Jagdgeschwaders operating over the Ruhr have suffered heavy casualties and a decision has been made to pull them back for now. The Ruhr will have to be protected by Night Fighters only until a solution has been found that will allow our fighters to curtail their losses. More AA Battalions are being moved to the area as a substitute for the leaving JGs. The positive thing for us is that these smaller sized raids do not cause as much damage as the big ones and the industry in the Ruhr while damaged, can be repaired fast.

Explanation: I have encountered a bug where German Fighter Groups are intercepting WA bombers that are out of their max range. I have reported this to the devs (Thread here: http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4499619) and they are taking a look at it. For now I will have to keep my JGs out of the Ruhr as during this turn alone due to the bug I lost 35 FBs.

Air Losses from last week:

The second bombing target of last week was the Do 217K-M (LB) plant in Munich and like the U-Boat factory in Danzig 2 weeks before, the British launch mini raids (of 4 planes each) that make them much harder to intercept. However our fighter groups in the area manage to do their job well, shooting down 35 Bombers for the loss of just 1 fighter. Nevertheless the British manage to damage the factory whose damage evaluation is around 22%.

In an attempt to destroy planes on the ground and catch us by surprise the enemy has launched a number of raids against our air bases in the Netherlands to no effect. On one occasion, the British lost 10 bombers and 3 fighters over Amsterdam due to heavy flak fire.

Heavy British losses over Amsterdam:

< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 6:57:42 PM >

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RE: T8 - 6/30/2018 8:26:07 PM

xhoel

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Situation report [Italy].

The Tactical Air Force continues its attacks on our air fields near the heel. This time the WA have more success destroying 21 airframes on the ground. All air groups that were stationed around the heel have been transferred further inland. Our Bomber Groups keep patrolling the sea lanes west of Roma and Napoli in order to thwart a possible landing in the region. The high WA air activity south of Sardinia is a sign that the invasion of the island is imminent. The enemy has managed to cut off 3 out of 4 ports in Sardinia and only the port of Olbia is operating at the time. Fighter Groups stationed in Corsica are ready to intercept any Allied attempts to close the port. The Landing will probably be on the Western Coast of the island.

Sardinia:

The British are still chasing our troops up the toe, but the difficult terrain is hindering their advance, giving us time to reinforce our defensive positions. The XIV Panzer Corps remains on the defensive at the Lauria line. Further up north, due to the slow advance of the British, Field Marshall Kesserling has ordered the extension of the Bifena line with the inclusion of the port city of Salerno. The reasoning for this is simple: The area north-west of Napoli is composed of flat ground and fields which means that a breakthrough at this point would force us to abandon our positions and surrender the port of Napoli to the enemy, something that would help their supply situation a lot. The extension would however force the WA to fight through our defenses or attempt to engage us at another point. The LXXVI Panzer Corps of General Traugott Herr is to oversee the defensive works on the Bifena line.

Lauria Line:

The Old Bifena Line with arrows indicating WA probable attack axis:

The New Bifena Line with arrows indicating WA probable attack axis (notice the additional difficult terrain):

In the North more and more divisions are arriving in preparation for Operation Achse. Our intelligence reports indicate that the Italians are very close to throwing in the towel, even though they present themselves as ready to fight side by side with us. By now, there are 4 Infantry divisions, 2 Security Regiments and one Elite SS PzGren Division stationed in North Italy. The situation at the headquarters of AGC in Rome is very tense. On one side a naval invasion is to be expected at any time, on the other hand there is insecurity about the allegiance of our Italian allies. Kesserling however feels confident that if the Italians surrender, our reaction will be swift and hard just as planned.

German Units in North Italy (in blue):

< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 7:02:35 PM >

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RE: T8 - 6/30/2018 8:31:06 PM

xhoel

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Casualties T8:

Ground:

Air:

< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 7:05:05 PM >

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Post #: 43

RE: T9 - 7/13/2018 8:36:20 PM

xhoel

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T9, 28th of August to 4th of September 1943.
Situation report [Northern Europe].

Air operations over Germany were quite limited last week due to bad weather. The RAF Bomber Command switched its tactics once more, launching very small raids of 12 bombers against the Ruhr while the American follow up with the now usual 80 bomber raids. Even though we manage to intercept the British and outnumber them 3:1 our night fighters manage to score few kills. Losses in the air are light over Germany. We lose 14 Bf 110G2s, 3 FW 109A-6s and 3 Bf 110G-4s. Most of the losses are taken against the much more agile British fighters who are running Air Superiority missions over the area shown below:

Air Losses from last week:

This leads to new transfers of air groups in order to stay out of the AS Box that the Allies have created near Essen. The industry of the Ruhr is suffering a lot and even priority repairs are not cutting it anymore. A solution needs to be found and quickly.

Industry of the Ruhr:

< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 7:07:35 PM >

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RE: T9 - 7/13/2018 8:46:46 PM

xhoel

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Situation report [Italy].

Light engagements in the air last week over Italy. Our Italian allies suffer 8 FBs lost. Our Joint Italian-German Naval Groups continue their patrolling operations west of Roma and Napoli and AGC orders for patrols on the region of Bari too. The fact that the enemy has not yet launched their invasion of Sardinia is a sign that the island may not be their objective at all and that a strong landing is to be anticipated in mainland Italy.

This idea is also supported by seeing the enemy deployment on the field. The British have given up the pursuit of our units near the toe and have made very light contact with our frontline. The XIV Panzer Corps remains on the defensive at the Lauria line but there is a lot of doubt weather this is a good idea on our part.

Lauria Line:

Meanwhile the LXXVI Panzer Corps of General Traugott Herr (in green) has taken over the command of the units on the Bifena line. Due to the insecurity regarding the landing of the Western Allies, 2 extra divisions have been transferred to Rome this week.

Rome and the Bifena Line:

Our Meterologist have forseen good weather next week, and the seas will be calm so there is little doubt that this will be the weak that the WA will make their move.

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 7:09:52 PM >

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RE: T9 - 7/13/2018 8:53:53 PM

xhoel

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Casualties T9:

Ground:

Air:

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 7:10:27 PM >

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RE: T10 - 7/28/2018 10:49:49 PM

xhoel

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T10, 4th of September to 11th of September 1943.
General overview of the situation:

Italy has surrendered and changed sides joining the Anglo-Americans. Heavy airfield bombings conducted by the Allies all along the front with heavy losses on our side. Naval invasion in Italy still hasn�t happened. Target of WA strategic bombing remains the Ruhr.

Volkischer Beobachter reports the surrender of Italy:

Situation Report [Northern Europe]
Air

Tragedy has struck over Belgium. Our Night Fighter groups that were stationed at the Brugges air field in preparation for night intruder missions over England were spotted by British recon and their presence was confirmed by the Belgian resistance in the area. Last week Fighter Command, 8th US Air Force and 2nd Tactical Air Command launched a series of raids on the Brugges air field, destroying much of the infrastructure and killing a portion of the air base personal. 62 Night Fighters were lost on the ground but thankfully the pilot crews escaped unhurt. This seriously hampers our night intercepting abilities as the loss of these airframes is quite substantial and the industry, already stretched thin in the production of night fighters cannot make up for these losses. All the night fighter air groups stationed in Belgium have been pulled back to the Staaken air base near Berlin where they will undergo R&R. Due to severe airframe shortages two night fighter air groups (II./NJG and II./NJG 6) have been disbanded this week. Their pilots (73) will be transferred to other fighter groups. We have almost 100 trained pilots in the pool waiting to be assigned to combat units.

Brugges airfield circled in red and the industry of the Ruhr with damage indicators on:

On a more positive note, this is the first week since July that no German Fighters have been shot down by the enemy. This is in part due to the strategy employed by our adversaries which have made the Ruhr their main target.
The strength of the bombing over the Ruhr is not what it used to be. This is due to the smaller size of the air raids. It seems that the British have settled for raids of 12 bombers while the Americans are sticking to 80 bombers per raid. This hampers their damage and accuracy a lot and last week 8 out of 37 raids (21%) completely missed their targets and dropped their bombs in woods or fields. The positive side of that is that they take fewer losses. Whenever British bombers are intercepted by our night fighters they suffer little to no losses even though most of the time they are outnumbered 3:1. Not much can be done about this except hope for better luck.

To counter the daylight bombing of the Americans JG 3 and JG 27 (288 fighters) have been deployed to the bases of Erschwege and Hildesheim which put them in range of Bochum and Dortmund but out of the range of Essen where the enemy has air superiority. All the other air groups remain in their positions. Luftflotte Reich is expecting a major bombing to the North soon as our U-Boat factories there are almost fully repaired. To counter this threat Schmids I Jagd Corps has deployed 555 fighters in the sector and is prepared to make the enemy bleed for every bomb dropped.

U-Boat locations and their respective damages:

Ground

The new Infantry Division TOE was announced last week by the OKW as a response to manpower shortages. The new TOE left many of the garrison areas in Northern Europe understrength and during this week many units were transferred to other regions to make up for the shortages. The situation is now under control in all regions except of Denmark were the newly transferred Landstorm Nederland SS Infantry Regiment has yet to cross the border into Denmark.
The defense in the West is taking its shape. Army Group B reports that the coastline from the Netherlands till Cherburg is completely manned by our troops, who are busy building fortifications and improving their defensive positions. The areas of Brittany and North Western France in general are still waiting to be strengthened by additional units. As part of our defensive strategy, ports are to be build into fortresses so that the enemy will be denied the infrastructure they need to exploit any landing.

Garrison status:

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 7:13:03 PM >

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RE: T10 - 7/28/2018 11:09:29 PM

xhoel

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Situation Report [Italy]

Air

The enemy launched several raids against our airfields in Sardinia and Napoli destroying 35 aircraft, killing a lot of personal and damaging the air fields by quite a margin. Around 20 Italian interceptors in Sardinia ended being shot down by the enemy. 23 out of the 35 aircraft destroyed on the ground were Luftwaffe Go 244s stationed in Napoli. The air group has been pulled back to Germany for R&R. Due to the Italian surrender; many of the air bases that were being used by our bombers in Italy have been left empty until German personal arrives. The air groups have been transferred to other air bases temporarily. The surrender of the Italians means that the only German fighter air group in the theater, the JG 53 now has to be spread thin in order to cover our air bases in mainland Italy from the enemy bombers. The LW has been ordered to intensify naval patrols in front of Rome where Kesserling believes that the enemy will attempt to land.

Overview of the air field bombing raids over Sardinia:

Ground

The waiting for the Anglo American landing has everyones nerves stretched to the limit. Army Group C has ordered Rome to be reinforced and as a result the HG Panzer Division gets transferred to the capital. Together with the 1st SS PzGr Division, which it the strongest German unit in the West at this time, Kesserling is hoping to defeat any attempts by the Anglo Americans to land at Rome. The II SS Panzer Corps has 3 other divisions and the 135th Fortress Brigade, freshly evacuated from Corsica defending the coast in front of the Italian capital.

Coastal defenses near Rome:

Further south, the Bifena line is almost fully manned. The LXXVI Panzer Corps is responsible for the northern portion of the line while the XI LW Flieger Corps is responsible for the southern portion and the defense of Napoli itself.

Overview of Axis defenses, black line represents the Bifena line, red the secondary defense line. Airfields circled in red are to be evacuated next week.

The XIV Panzer Corps has abandoned its positions at the Lauria line and pulled back 60 miles to the north hoping to delay the WA advance. It appears that the WA have only one armored division in the area, the 2nd US Armored Division and Hube is hoping that this unit will not be able to exploit the gap that extends to the east of our units.
Kesserling has ordered the disbandment of Supply depots in the Puglia area while in the north new units have arrived that are to be used as reserves for the Italian theater but are currently on garrison duty.

XIV Panzer Corps pulls back:

General overview of Italy:

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 7:15:03 PM >

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RE: T10 - 7/28/2018 11:42:06 PM

xhoel

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Casualties:

Air:

Ground:

Attachment (1)

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RE: T10 - 8/12/2018 7:36:26 PM

Q-Ball

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Really nice AAR! A couple comments:

1. I think not having Germans on Corsica is a mistake.....just a couple units can hold the island during Italian surrender, and Corsica in Allied hands really extends Allied fighter range. If he is planning a landing north of Rome, which I would bet on given that aggressive opening move, he'll have plenty of fighter cover now

2. If the Luftwaffe consistently attempts to defend airspace from Allied fighters, the result will be a worn down and degraded LW by 1944. I would withdraw the LW from Allied fighter range. Here is what I would do:
a. Pull all LW fighters back in N. Europe so that only P-38s can engage your fighters. This will mean leaving France and Ruhr uncovered, except by night fighters. I think that is preferable to the constant attrition, and the USAAF is forced to bomb beyond Spit range in 1943 anyway, where you can cause damage
b. Pull the LW from Southern Italy; HOWEVER, selectively Ambush the Allies, by moving all your fighters there temporarily at times. Doing that will force the Allies to always escort bombers, even when there is no LW around, and selective ambushes will shred the Allies and cause huge losses.

The problem with the LW is a lack of trained pilots; the Allies can afford huge pilot losses, you can't. Even if you getting 4 to 1 kill ratios, that favors the Allies. You simply cannot afford to fly the LW every turn.

Even over N. Europe, it's a good idea to occasionally mass REST the LW, and concede the skies for a week. Using the LW en masse is the way to go; in pockets, you're just getting pilots killed

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RE: T10 - 8/13/2018 1:22:45 AM

xhoel

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

Really nice AAR! A couple comments:

1. I think not having Germans on Corsica is a mistake.....just a couple units can hold the island during Italian surrender, and Corsica in Allied hands really extends Allied fighter range. If he is planning a landing north of Rome, which I would bet on given that aggressive opening move, he'll have plenty of fighter cover now

2. If the Luftwaffe consistently attempts to defend airspace from Allied fighters, the result will be a worn down and degraded LW by 1944. I would withdraw the LW from Allied fighter range. Here is what I would do:
a. Pull all LW fighters back in N. Europe so that only P-38s can engage your fighters. This will mean leaving France and Ruhr uncovered, except by night fighters. I think that is preferable to the constant attrition, and the USAAF is forced to bomb beyond Spit range in 1943 anyway, where you can cause damage
b. Pull the LW from Southern Italy; HOWEVER, selectively Ambush the Allies, by moving all your fighters there temporarily at times. Doing that will force the Allies to always escort bombers, even when there is no LW around, and selective ambushes will shred the Allies and cause huge losses.

The problem with the LW is a lack of trained pilots; the Allies can afford huge pilot losses, you can't. Even if you getting 4 to 1 kill ratios, that favors the Allies. You simply cannot afford to fly the LW every turn.

Even over N. Europe, it's a good idea to occasionally mass REST the LW, and concede the skies for a week. Using the LW en masse is the way to go; in pockets, you're just getting pilots killed

Thanks for the kind words and suggestions.

I will address both your points:

1) This was more or less a forced situation after the evacuation of Sicily, where I lost the Schmalz PzGren Brigade and suffered quite a lot of casualties during the naval evacuation. True, but he has build up a considerable invasion force and as of turn 11 has not launched an invasion yet. So I was constantly reinforcing Rome and the surrounding areas in fear of an invasion, which I'm guessing will happen next turn and will be quite big.

2a) That has been done. I have no fighters in Allied fighter range and only the NF are defending the Ruhr. You will see we caused some serious damage to WA last turn once I update the AAR.
2b) The LW is concentrated in north Italy and around Rome. No fighter assets have been allocated to southern Italy.

Yes, I am aware of that. Really wish the game had a mechanism to curtail the Allies flying bombing missions every week even when they suffer horrible losses.

Best regards,
Xhoel

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RE: T10 - 8/19/2018 2:48:04 PM

xhoel

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T11, 11th of September to 18th of September 1943.
Situation Report [Northern Europe]

Air

As correctly predicted by our intelligence the Anglo-Americans changed the target of their strategic bombing from the Ruhr to Hamburg and the surrounding areas. The area is only bombed at night by the RAF Bomber Command in small scale raids (of 16 bombers) with some of the raids being escorted by Mosquitoes and Beaufighters. Our Night Fighter Groups stationed in the north, intercept all raids even though they manage to shoot down only 8 planes. The raids have almost no effect on the industry. In many occasions the British miss their targets completely. However the British do bomb living quarters in Hamburg causing heavy fires and killing many civilians. The oil refinery at Bergedorf is also damaged slightly. The bombed locations are shown on the map below:

Locations circled in black have suffered little to no damage. Only Hamburg and Bergedorf suffer damages.

The Americans on the other hand choose to hit the oil refineries located between Hannover and Braunschweig turning the ground below into a graveyard for planes. 4 massive raids are launched, with two days difference in between. The strike groups are composed of 270 four engine bombers and escorted by the 55th USAAF FB Group using P-38G/H Lightning fighters.

Day one raid on Misburg. Only 201 bombers make it to the city. The aeral battle is displayed below:

On day three, 47 fighters escorting 270 four engine bombers are intercepted on the way to Nienhagen. 222 bombers reach the city. 12 German fighters are written of as operational losses (not shown here).

On day five, 13 Fighters and 270 Bombers are intercepted heading to Braunschweig. 15 additional fighters are lost due to operational problems. 224 bombers reach the city:

On day 7 with the 55th USAAF FB Group completely destroyed the Americans launch their last raid unescorted. 9 additional fighters are lost due to operational problems and 217 bombers reach the city.

In total we lose 101 fighter planes in air to air combat while 42 fighters are lost due to operational problems. The Americans lose 36 fighters and 228 4E bombers, of which only 12 are due to operational losses. This is only a phyrric victory however, as while we have dealt a huge blow to the American bomber groups we have suffered heavy losses too, losses that we will have a hard time replacing. The air groups most affected by this are the twin engine fighters, that are no match for American escorts and get torn to pieces very fast. Last week, in the fighting over Hannover the Americans managed to shoot down 20 Bf 110G-2s and 29 Me 410A. The V./KG 2 that suffered the heaviest losses has been transferred to Romania where it is expected to R&R.

The damage caused by the bombing does not offset the heavy losses suffered by the enemy. The refinery at Misburg has been forced to stop production but we are willing to trade such economical losses for the massive amount of American bombers lost over the skies of the Reich.

Fuel Refinery at Misburg:

In addition to the strategic bombing, the enemy has bombed the airfields in the area of Pas de Calais and Belgium, giving our Flak crews some much deserved action. All air fields in the area are abandoned so every enemy lost plane is lost in vain.

Total Air Losses during last week:

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< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 7:21:12 PM >

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RE: T10 - 8/19/2018 2:56:23 PM

xhoel

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Situation Report [Italy].
Air

The situation in Italy is not as good. The enemy launches massive raids against our airfield at Aquino destroying 41 bombers on the ground and damaging the base heavily. The II./JG 53 that was on patrol in the area gets decimated by the sheer number of enemy fighters, losing 23 airframes and fails to make even a dent to the enemy.

This development forces us to disperse our bombers and pull some of the bomber groups back to Germany. The JG 53, the only fighter formation in Italy at the moment is ordered to stop patrolling the airspace. Von Richthofen wants to use them as his Ace in the hole, to surprise unescorted bomber formations rather than have them engage the Anglo-American fighters head on.

In other news, the enemy has bombed the railway lines in the area between Ancona and Pescara. This might be a faint in order for them to launch and invasion north of Rome or it might be the actual invasion site.

Recon flights over Corsica indicate no buildup of enemy air assets.

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< Message edited by xhoel -- 10/3/2019 7:22:30 PM >

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RE: T10 - 8/19/2018 4:28:37 PM

xhoel

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Ground
Italy

With the invasion not yet launched and with very little pressure coming from the south, the XIV Panzer Corps pulls back to the Bifena Line which is now fully manned. The move is done in order to free units to guard against a naval invasion north of Rome or in the area between Ancona and Pescara. The airfields at Foggia and San Severo are abandoned and ammo depots in Foggia are destroyed.

Pescara is reinforced by the 29th PzGren Division while Ancona and Rimini are garrisoned by infantry divisions responsible for North Italy.

No other changes have been made to the defenses. Kesserling is concerned by the lack of units in the area stretching from Livorno to Civitavechia. The whole stretch of coast here (160 miles) is completely undefended and is being called the Piombino gap. The good thing about the area is that there is only one small port, which would be insufficient to supply a strong Anglo-American landing.

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RE: T10 - 8/19/2018 5:02:38 PM

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Casualties.

Ground:

Air:

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RE: T12 - 8/27/2018 4:13:49 PM

xhoel

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T12, 18th of September to 25th of September 1943.
Situation Report [Northern Europe]

Hamburg and the north coast of Germany were targeted by the RAF Bomber Command last week, the main objective being the U-Boat pens and docks. The British continue their small scale raids (of 16 bombers). The interceptions by our Night Fighter Groups have little effect on the British Bomber formations. This is offset by the fact that the raids have only manged to damage the small U-Boat pens at Emden (size 3, 49% damage) and Wilhelmshaven (size 4, 43% damage). All the other locations have not sustained considerable damage (under 10%). The U-Boat pens at Kiel (size 20) on the other hand are now at 27% damage a 3% decrease from 2 weeks ago, even though they were bombed again last week.

Seeking revenge for the heavy losses suffered 2 weeks ago the Americans decide to concentrate on the areas around Hannover and Braunschweig again. Again 4 massive raids are launched, with two days difference in between, their main goal being the fuel refineries. This time however the strike groups are much bigger, composed of 600 four engine bombers and escorted by 4 USAAF FB Groups using P-38G/H Lightning fighters: the 4th, 78th, 352nd and 355th who manage to put 216 fighters in the air.

Day one raid on Dollbergen. 548 bombers make it to the city. The aeral battle is displayed below:

On day three, 176 fighters escorting 555 four engine bombers are intercepted on the way to Braunschweig. 504 bombers reach the city.

On day five, 123 Fighters and 485 Bombers are intercepted over Celle. 453 bombers reach the city.

On day 7 with losses being felt on both sides the Americans launch their last raid on Hildesheim, 416 bombers escorted by 64 fighters are intercepted west of the city. 385 bombers reach the city.

Losses suffered are very heavy. 171 fighter planes are lost in air to air combat while 31 fighters are lost due to operational problems. The Americans lose 107 fighters and 117 4E bombers, of which only 18 are due to operational losses. The results are displeasing to say the least. The twin engine fighters, prove once more that they are no match for American escorts and get torn to pieces very fast. Last week only, we lost 39 Bf 110G-2s and 49 Me 410A, a total of 88 planes or 51% of all lost planes.

German fighter losses:

Enemy Bomber and fighter losses:

The emergence of new enemy air groups using the long ranged P-38G/H Lightning is a worrying development and has forced us to reevaluate our air defense strategy. As of today there are 5 active air groups using the model in northern Europe and 3 air groups in the Mediterranean. The air groups that have been active over Europe in the last two weeks however have suffered very heavy losses and our intelligence estimates that of the five FB Groups only one group (the 4th USAAF FB Group) would be available for missions that the Americans may conduct this week. To make things worse for them, the Americans do not have enough of these planes to sustain such heavy losses.

Nevertheless precautions have been taken to ensure that in future encounters our planes fare better against escorted bomber raids. To that effect, the Me 410A and Bf 110G-2s have been pulled back out of the range of the P-36 Lightning. ZG groups using the Bf 110G-2s have been ordered to add no extra armament to their planes. Certain Bf 109G-6 groups have been stripped of their extra 20mm cannons to improve dogfighting abilities when going against the P-38 Lightning. All FW 190A groups are also flying without extra armament.

The America bombing raids are effective and have stopped the Fuel Refineries from continuing production. Weather predictions indicate that next week there will be light rains all over northern Europe, which may stem the Americans from continuing these deep penetration raids.

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RE: T12 - 8/27/2018 4:45:44 PM

xhoel

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Italy.

In Italy the enemy continues the massive raids against our air fields. This week their targets are Frosinone, Aquino and Viterbo. 75 aircraft of various types (LB, recon, patrol and TB) are destroyed on the ground and the air bases also suffer structural damages. This continuing campaign to destroy our bombers on the ground has forced us to redeploy our bombers to Germany and Northern Italy, away from the enemy fighter cover.

JG 53, has been tasked with safeguarding our bombers stationed in the north. It has a total of 117 fighters for the task in hand. Other bomber groups stationed in central Italy have been dispersed in order to avoid their loss in a single strike.

Enemy recon continues to be focused on Pescara but the feeling is that the Anglo-Americans will attempt to land north of Rome. Our recon reports however indicate no sign of enemy aircraft presence in Corsica. Our bombers continue patrolling the sea lanes west and north-west of Rome.

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RE: T12 - 8/27/2018 8:46:19 PM

xhoel

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Ground

The invasion has not happened yet, most likely due to the bad weather over north Africa and Corsica and Sardinia. Army Group C believes that the Allies want to land north of Rome, yet the enemy has run no recon whatsoever of our positions here. With the weather clearing next week, there is little doubt that the Allies will launch their invasion.

The Bifena line, now fully manned is expecting to make contact with the enemy this week. The enemy has managed to take Pulia , an important region due to its numerous airfields and the ports of Taranto and Bari. Recon of the area indicates that several ground units as well as many air groups have been deployed in the region. The Anglo-Americans have not yet crossed the rivers Ofanto and Sele but will probably do so by next week. Our supply depot at Termoli has been destroyed to avoid falling into enemy hands.