Fall 42

[joegrundman]

research

WAllies test for Fish (4) and Chips (3)
European Axis tests for Elektra (4) and Zick Zack (6)

Weather

Moderate Cold in Siberia (roll a 1)

1. Diplomatic Phase (simplified for PBEM)
---a. Moving player announces all diplomatic targets and reaction die rolls, including Russian demands on Finland and Rumania (Allied turn).
---b. Russia announces diplomatic target for subversion
---c. Player informed of opposing DPs in target and decides whether to play covert ops and counter-intel
---d. opposing player plays covert ops or counter intel
---e. GM makes diplomatic die rolls
---f. Placement of forces of newly activated minor allies and associated minor countries
---g. Minor allies surrender or switch sides
---h. USAT, USJT and RGT adjusted and mobilisations informed (Allied turn)

2. Oil and BRP adjustments
---a) place newly produced oil counters on oil centers
---b) move oil counters to oil reserves unless transports required
---c) use oil counters to offset air, naval and army oil effects and uninvert air and naval units
---d) add or subtract BRPs for transport levels, mobilisations, conquests, minor countries and restored key economic areas

3. Declarations of war
---a. declarations of war
---b. allied mining of norwegian waters (allied turn)
---c. placement of forces of newly attacked minor countries

Germany has 12 brps deducted from bombing

[joegrundman]

5. Movement phase

a. place airbase counters
b. staging of air units
c. announce and resolve counterar missions
d. air attacks on patrolling submarines
e. annonuce naval base changes, patrols and movement of naval units to and from SW boxes
f. resolve patrols
g. harbor attacks
h. resolve base changes and movement of units to and from SW boxes

i. initials supply determination
.....i. sea supply, assign transports to carry oil, designate convoy routes
....ii. resolve air and naval interactions
...iii. augment oil reserves from transports
....iv. use oil counters to offset air, naval and army oil effects
.....v. air supply
....vi. determine supply status

j. air and sea transport
.....i. movement of ground units to ports or airports
....ii. air and sea transports announced
...iii. resoution of air and naval interactions

k. ground unit movement and overruns, including completing movement of units already using air or sea transport
.....i. defensive air support for units being overrun
....ii. interception of defensive air support
...iii. air combat resolves

Germany places an airbase in S41 in Southern Russia, and stages AAF forward

Counterair

Germany enjoys a +2 mod

5 AAF combined Finnish, Swedish and German CA 5AAF in Gorki

Germany rolls 8 mod 10, a 3/4 result
Russia rolls 8 mod 6, a 2/2 result

A second strke, 3 versus 2

Germany rolls 7, mod 9, a 1/3 result
Russia rolls 5 mod 3, a 0/1 result

a third strike 3 vs 1

Germany rolls 6, mod 8 - the last russian is gone
Russia rolls 10 mod 8, a 1/1 result.

Russian loses 5 AAF, Germany loses 2, Finland 1

3 AAF from Dnepropetrovsk CAs 3 AAF in Rostov

Germany rolls 10, mod 12, a 2/4 result
Russia rolls 5 mod 3, a 1/0 result

second strike, 2 AAF vs 1 AAF

Germany rolls 4 mod 6, a 1/1 result
Russia rolls 5 mod 3, a 0/1 result

Russia loses 3 AAF, Germany 1

Total: 8 AAF for 4

Overrun on O45

A 4o6 and a 5o6 and a 1m3 overrun the 1-3 on O45, with 2AAF support. 6:1 Germany rolls a 6, no losses

Attack on P45

armor attacks out onto P45, defense 4, at 2:1 with 16 factors, an overrun, using up 6AAF., rolling a 5. No losses to germany

However, 6 Russian AAF are intercepted by 6 German AAF

Germany rolls 8, mod 10, a 3/5 result
Russia rolls 6, mod 4, a 1/3 result

Airdrop on the Kerch peninsular

An airborne lands on the kerch peninsular, which reduces the strength of the cross-water defense

two 4o6, the airborne and 7AAF attack the defending 1-3 and 3-3 (Def 8) at 2:1

Germany rolls a 1!, Germany takes 4 factors of loss as eth first attack is repulsed with heavy losses.

In a second attack Germany makes a 1:1 attack but with a +1 mod for the second round

Germany rolls a 6! It's all over, for 4 factors lost in total. Germany takes a 4o6 as losses

A bridgehead and breakthrough are placed on the hex and two 4o6 move on to it for exploitation




Th continuation of the exploitation attack is remorseless

From the Crimea, one armor division seizes Maikop, the second division moves on to link up at Rostov with the armor coming from the north

No less than 17 armor factors and 1 AAF assault the 1-3 in Rostov at 6:1

The defenders have no chance and are eliminated, Rostov falls, and a sizeable chunk of the Red Army is trapped in the Rostov kessel



In the North,

an air and infatry assault on the Russian 4o5

defense=8
attack= 14 mixed infantry and 2AAF=2:1

Germany rolls a 2! Victorious, but costly!

Further south, 16 infantry and 2AAF attack a 3o5 at 3:1, rolling a 6! no losses to Germany, and restoring supply to the units in the marshlands

[joegrundman]

Battle of the Atlantic

Modifiers
+1 NDRM
-1 air range
+3 torps
-2 ASW
-1 CVEs
+3 ports on the atlantic coast
+1 US at war
+1 ULTRA
-1 ULTRA
Total: +4

11 U-boats vs 10 ASW against 24 transports

Germany rolls 5, mod 9=2/7
Allies roll 9, mod 5=1/6
4 U-boats get through and inflict 8 more losses

Total losses=10 transports sunk and 7 damaged, leaving 7 in the Atlantic again

1 U-boat lost

Battle of the Indian

1 U-boat vs 1 ASW targets 8 tranports

mods:ndrm+1, torps vs ASW +1, air range -1, 3 CVEs-1=0 mod

U-boat rolls 2! no losses
ASW rolls 6! no effect

1 u-boat gets through and sinks 1 transport

1 I-boat vs 1 ASW

torps vs ASW=-1, air range=0, CVEs=-1, Trincomallee port=+1, MAGIC card=+1
total= 0 mod

Iboat rolls 5 no effect
ASW rolls 5, no effect

1 I-boat gets through and sinks 1 transport

Raiders

The Japanese roll a 4!
The italians roll a 6!

Japan rolls 2,2,4 for types of interceptor= the British CA6

The Japanese long guns fire first, with 0 mod. 9 factors roll a 5! Hazy weather obscures the target. 1 hit ! a cruiser is damaged. CA4 attack the Japanese and roll a 2! no damage, however the Cruisers shadow the Japanese and make sure no transports come anywhere near

Italians roll a 1,1,2,2, 3
Up to CA8 and a BB3 - there are only CA6 left, but also the BB3 USS Mississippi joins in the battle

The mod is +1 for the allies

The allies target the BB4 Littorio, the Italians target the Mississippi with the Littorio and the Cavour, the BB4 Veneto fires ont he cruisers

First fire vs cruisers

Italy rolls 8-1=7, 1 hit. A cruiser is damaged

Italy fires on the mississipi and rolls a 7-1=6, 2 hits! The BB3 Mississippi is damaged

The allied 7 factors roll a 6 mod 7=2 hits. The shells just bounce off the belt armor of the great BB4

Again, the Allied cruisers ensure no transports approach the raiders

This ends the second raider encounter

Japanese Bomb India

6 AAF bomb india (2 bombing AAF, 4 escort)

No enemy planes intercept

Bombing rolls 11!-1 for air defense=0/2 result

air defense rolled an abysmal 3! a 1/0 result. 1 bombing AAF shot down!

1 bomber gets through and inflicts an additional 3 brps damage

total damage from bombing=5 brps! (with more than a little bit of luck for Japan!)

[joegrundman]

Japanese invade Noumea and Attu!

Lightweight invasion forces take advantage of the dearth of alllied fleetage to land troops on Attu in the Aleutians and the Beach near Noumea in the south pacific.

Attrition

Japan versus communists, 0 mod 5 factors. Japan rolls 4, no effect
Japan vs nationalists, +1 mod, 21+ factors. Rolls 6, mod 7. 4 counters, 1 hex.
Japan versus India box, +1 mod, 11+ factors. Rolls 2 mod 3. 2 counters
Japan attritions Australia, +1 mod, 1+ factor. rolls 1, no effect.
Spain attritions British, 0 mod, 1+ factor. Rolls 2. No effect

Additional losses to India through attrition, 11 factors outside india versus 9 factors inside results in 2 brps lost to India. Total losses including bombing=7 losses and UCL reduced to 1

Construction

Japan pays 24 brps for construction, which includes the launch of the BB5 Musashi
Italy pays 9 brps and launches CA4
Germany pays 46 brps to rebuild losses including 6 AAF, a U-boat, launches the mighty BB4 Tirpitz and lays keels to CA4

germany builds fortification in Madrid, 5 brps

[joegrundman]

Allied turn

No Diplomacy

Allies trace supply to Noumea. DD3 attempt interception, but failed to complete it

Australia sends DD2 and 2-2 to Noumea, again Japan attempts to intercept. Again Japan fails to intercept!

US sends 1-2 to Dutch Harbor

[joegrundman]

Sea supply Portugal

The allies send a sea supply mission to Lisbon from Liverpool escorted by TF1



Germany picking up signals of the supply convoy sets sail to intercept in darkness, but the British TF 2 was lurking under the cover of night just beyond the Pte de Penmarch in Brittany, ready and waiting!

The Battle of Penmarch

Round 1,

search Britain has 4 dice (1 CG and 3 search AAS), Germany has 2 search dice (1 CG and 1 AAS)

Britain rolls 1,1,5,6
Germany rolls 2,6

At first light British spotter planes identify the German TF and the first of wave of attack planes stream in

2 British attack AAS face 2 german defending NAS

Germany has a +1 advantage for air nat

Germany rolls 6, mod 7, a 1/1 result
Britain rolls 7, mod 6, a 1/1 result

8 British AAS face an air defense level of 3 (11+factors +1 air defense research result)
Germany rolls an astonishing 12, a 2/2 result

4 AAS then close in and identify the following ships in the German TF, the BB4 Bismarck, the BC3 Gneisenau, the PB2 Lutzow and CA4

The AAS strike the Gneisenau at -1 for nat difference and roll a 5-1=4, 2 hits! The Gneisenau is damaged



Masked by the confusion of the air battle the Royal Navy steamed into range

Britain uses an ULTRA tactical card to even out the nat mod this turn

The British TF contains BB4 King George V, BB4 Duke of York, BC3 Repulse and CA10

The British heavies all target the Bismarck, the German heavies all target the KGV

Britain 11 factors roll a 7, 3 hits! the Bismarck is damaged
GErmany's 6 factors roll a 5, 1 hit, no effect
Britains CA10 fire on the Germans CA4 and roll a 5, 2 hits, CA2 is sunk
Germany's CA4 fire on British CA10 and roll a 6, 1 hit, a CA2 is damaged



Germany's commander orders a retreat back to base

The RAF proceeded to launch another round of strikes at the retreating fleet as they approach the relative security of Lorient

7 British AAS strike the Germans

A french AAS and german NAS engage 2 British attack AAS at no mod

Britain rolls a 6, the French AAS is shot down
Germany rolls a 10, a 1/3 result a desperate and heroic action by the defenders may have jsut saved the fleet's bacon!

3 British AAS face the air defenses, which are far less effective this time due to the chaos and disorder of the retreating fleet, rolling a 4, a 1/0 result

2 British AAS get through and target the PB2 Lutzow, rolling a 7, mod 6. 1 hit. The Lutzow is damaged

The battered and shocked fleet is safe, but a lucky escape perhaps!

Finally a Royal Navy performance worthy of its great name and tradition.

Other news: British armoured division captures Vigo

[joegrundman]

Communists vs Japan, 8 factors, no mod, roll 2, no effect
Nationalists vs Japan, 21 factrors, -1 mod, roll 4 mod 3, 1c result
Allied troops in india versus Japan, 9 factors, -1 mod , roll 2mod 1, no effect
Russia vs Germany 88 factors, 0 mod, roll 3, 8C/4H result