Spring 1943

[joegrundman]

Happy New Year, and may peace and goodwill finally come to the world!

weather

Russia is full of mud! No exploitation or overruns by axis units - Limited offensives only for axis. Russian CTL reduced by 1 to 1 reducing effectiveness of exploitation

Research

Russia

RedSky - a 113=1
Worker's Hammer 125=2

W. Allies

Mushy Peas 155=5
Spotted Dick 355=5
Fish 344=4
Anorak 556=5

Japan
Chrysanthemum 225=2
Sushi 236=3

Germany

Neunty Neun Rote Ballone 134=3
Los! 356=5
Rache 155=5

[joegrundman]

Turkey signs up for the axis!

After much errming and aahing, the Turks are finally bribed by the Germans to join the axis with promises of large slices of former Ottoman empire holdings currently in the Soviet Union

Turkey mobilises as a full minor ally

[joegrundman]

Japan loses 1 brp due to transport shortage. Japan only able to carry 5 oil home this turn

Neither Germany nor Japan announce any offensive operations, except for Italian raiders in the Indian. Japanese forces pull out of the Indian Ocean

Yet another even more advanced torpedo design put into action by Germany. Torpedoes are now homing in on engine noises!

Battle of the Indian Ocean

1 U-boat faces the transports with mod+1 and rolls 6 mod 7. no direct losses, but gets through and sinks 2 transports

Italian raiders are spotted by 3 groups, an American CA2, a PB2 and a BB4 all meet
the italians

The italians fire on the BB4 Massachusettes, the Americans all fire on the BB4 Veneto. Mod is +1 for the Americans

8 US factors fire rolling a 5 mod 6, 1 hit, no damage
11 italian factors fire rolling a 4 mod 5, 2 hits, no damage

The Italians run for it, but are engaged a second time (rolling a 6), this time a CA4 and a BB3 join in

The Americans have 15 factors at +1 and roll a 11=12 5 hits! The Mighty BB4 Veneto was caught badly out of position and subjected to a withering crossfire. She soon started sinking and the crew abandoned ship. Some were picked up by her friends in the cruisers, but they were forced to leave before finishing the task. The remaining survivors were picked up by the Americans.

Italians rolled a 7 mod 6, 2 hits, no damage

Battle of the Atlantic

11 U-boats face 13 ASW

Mods are

NDRM+1
torps +4
2 U-boat cards+2
French ports+2
1 ASW card-1
ASW tech-2
Air range -1
CVEs-1
total +4

germany rolls 6 mod 10, 2/7
allies roll 9 mod 5, 2/7

2 U-boats get through with +4 mod=6 transports sunk

total transport losses 8 sunk/7 damaged/ 10 remain

[joegrundman]

Attrition

Attrition in Spain

10 factors at 0 mod (W. Allies have achieved a CTL breakthrough - it is now 2 equal with Germany and Russia)
Roll a 6! 1 counter eliminated (replacement eliminated)

Attrition in Russia

126 factors at 0 mod

rolls a 6! (My god so many 6s this turn!) this is a shocking 12C/6H result

attrition in china

vs Communists, a 5! 1 counter lost
Vs nationalists a 5! 20+ factors, +1 mod=3C/1 h (although there are no useful hexes to occupy

australia a 2! no effect

[joegrundman]

Battle of the New Hebrides

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/5981/71380004b4724c34op4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/71380004b4724c34op4.jpg/1/w600.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img152/71380004b4724c34op4.jpg/1/)

A Japanese Task Force patrolling off the New Hebrides had radio messages intercepted and US TF2 was sent to investigate from Australia. The Submarine USS Flying Fish made contact with the Japanese Task Force and vectored in the US fleet for attack.

US TF2 Magic intercepts Japan's TF1

Search: Japan gets 0 dice (1 CG)
US gets 2 dice (1 CG, 1 Magic interception,

5,6 - no group found

Round 2, US plays tactical card to get 1 more die, Japan 1 less
Japan 1 die
US 3 dice

Japan gets 3, US not found
US gets 1,2,5. Japanese CG found

US rolls a 5 for surprise

this is modified to 4 because of Japan's Radar. The following effects apply to Japan:

a) only 2/3 the defending air (round up) are able to defend
b) attacker gets +1 DRM on attack on naval units
c) air defense level 1 less
d) no +1 bonus for CAP

Despite these disadvantages, an impressive 3 eNAS are patrolling the skies around the TF when the 7 US NAS come screaming in.

Furthermore it appears that the zero fighters have been significantly upgraded since 1942 with some armor and heavier cannons (an air nat breakthrough)

Total mod for Japan +2, for US -2

3 US NAS peel off to engage the Japanese

Japan rolls 8 mod 10, a 2/2 result
US rolls 9 mod 7, a 1/2 result

The US air faces the guns of the air defense

the level is

+3 for 25 factors
+1 for BB5 Yamato
+1 for air defense breakthrough
-1 for surprise
level 4 total

Rolls an 8, a 2/1 result

NAS from carriers ignore an abort result from air defense

Savaged, a single US NAS gets through the defense screen, spots the CV3 Akagi and puts their planes into a nosedive

(Japanese force is CV3 Akagi, Zuikaku, Soryu, Zuikaku, CA4, BB4 Nagato, BB5 Yamato)

The attack mod is

USAir nat=2
surprise=+1
Total us=3
Naval nat =3
Flattops=-2
Total japan=1

Mod +2

US rolls a 8! mod 10! 2 hits! The CV3 Akagi has been hit and is pouring smoke!

Round 3

US gets 2 search results, Japan 0

With japanese search planes frantically scanning the area for the Americans, the US NAS are rearmed and refuelled and sent out again, this time leaving no Combat Air Patrol

The Japanese are still in dissarray, but not so badly as before, -1 CAP ADRM, -1 air defense

6 US NAS scream in

3 NAS face 3 defending eNAS

The eNAS have a bonus of +2

Japan rolls 7 mod 9, a 1/3 result
US rolls 7 mod 5, a 1/1 result

2 NAS face the defenses

Level 3+1 air defnese+1 BB5-1 surprise=4 and rolls a 3, a 1/0 result

1 NAS spots the damaged Akagi and decides to try for a kill

Attack level
ADRM 2
NDRM 3
Flattop-2

Total mod=+1 and rolls a 9! mod 10! 2 hits! The damaged Akagi hit twice more experiences a huge explosion and the order to abandon ship is given

Round 4

4 dice each group

Japan: 1345
US: 6461

This time the Japanese find the US carrier group and launch a 7 eNAS strike

2 US NAS fly CAP

The Japanese fight the CAP at +1

US rolls 6 mod 5, a 1/0 result
Japan rolls 9 mod 10, a 1/3 result

US air defense level is 4 and rolls 7, a 1/2 result

This is very bad news for the Americans - 5 eNAS launch their strikes

3 eNAS target the Lexington and 2 eNAS target the Wasp

Modifiers for Japan +3 ADRM +1 eNAS=4
for US=3 NDRM-2 for carriers=1
Total mod=+3 for Japan

Vs Lexington Japan rolls a 9! mod 12. 4 hits, Several bombs smash through the decks and explode deep inside, causing secondary explosions. The Lexington is destroyed

Vs Wasp Japan rolls 8! mod 11. 3 hits, the Wasp is also fatally wounded, but in this case most of the crew abandon ship.

In the middle of this chaos the battleships come within range of each other!

The US

BB4 Indiana, BB4 Washignton, BB2 Guam, CA4 (CVB4 Constellation screened)

Japan

BB5 yamato, BB4 Nagato, CA4, (CV3 Zuikaku, Soryu, Kaga screened)

All US heavies target the Yamato

All Japanese heavies target the Indiana

At this stage there are no modifiers in this even battle

US 10 factors roll a 6! 2 hits! no damage
Japan 9 factors roll a 9! 3 hits! The BB4 Indiana is damaged

The difference was in the huge guns and thick armour belt of the Yamato

The light ships also were involved in a skirmish with each other

US CA4 roll a 6! 1 hit
Japanese CA4 roll 5! 1 hit

1 CA2 each is damaged

The US fleet withdraws to Australia. The Japanese celebrate their great success

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/2081/battlewr5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/battlewr5.jpg/1/w265.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img89/battlewr5.jpg/1/)

[joegrundman]

After the Battle of New Hebrides, Japan heavily reinforces the landing at Noumea

The patrolling force is ordered to continue the patrol and cut any support to the Australian garrison in noumea

there are significant constructions and redeployments as the forces newly freed up in india start to move out

Manchuria is back to 30 brps of units, but china is still thin

[joegrundman]

Allied Turn

The Gibraltar gauntlet

British TF1 races supply to Gibraltar

3 AAS face off 2 British NAS in a +1 battle for the axis

axis roll 8 mod 9, a 1/3 result
allies roll 6 mod 5, a 10 result

The 2 AAS face the air defenses of the TF, it's level is 4 (21+factors, 1 air defense result) and rolls 9, a 2/1 result

It's over, without getting close. Gibraltar is supplied

Spanish intercept Lisbon Supply

Spanish cruiser rolls high and intercepts the Lisbon supply column outside air cover

it faces a defending CA2 and DD1

The nav nat bonus is +2 for Britain

Britain rolls 4 mod 6
Spain rolls 7 mod 5

the Spanish cruiser returns to port with a nasty list and Lisob is fully supplied and oiled

[joegrundman]

Run Silent, Run Deep

2 Submarines face 4 ASW to target 18 transports

The mods include

Air range +1 both
ASW -1 Japan
Submarine tactical card +1 US

0 mod

US rolls 7, a 0/1 result
Japan rolls 7, a 1/1 result

The submarines are stopped from doing further harm this season, just 1 transport damaged and 1 submarine factor sunk! There go the last of the Sugar boats.

[joegrundman]

General Patton (and his dog) take the offensive in Spain

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/4484/spainwt3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/spainwt3.jpg/1/w401.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img515/spainwt3.jpg/1/)18 factors (5o6, 3-4,3-4, 7AAF) attack the German 3-3 inf next to Gibraltar at 3:1

The allies roll a 4, a d result. The overwhelmed German defenders surrender producing the first significant number of German POWs that the Western Allies have yet seen.

A breakthrough is placed on the hex, and exploiting armor move on

Shouting and waving his pistol enthusiastically, Patton leads the armoured columns in a huge flanking manoeuver to isolate the Southern flank of the Spanish defense

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/3808/spain2os9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



Russia moves forward and attritions Germany, getting a 7C/4H result

Nationalist Chinese elimiate 2 Japanese factors
(http://g.imageshack.us/img372/spain2os9.jpg/1/)