Summer 1945

[joegrundman]

Battle of the Atlantic

Just as the allies start to crush the U-boats, a new and frightening development in U-boat technology stuns the allies




For the first time since 1942, next generation U-boats are able to get in to less than 2 km before launching lethally accurate salvos, and they can do it by travelling underwater at speeds of 17 knots in darting attacks, before darting away into the safety of the deep to reload and strike again.

Thankfully these new U-boats are few in number, but still sank 2 transport factors, while the allies failed to sink a single U-boat of this type. The new u-boats accounted for about half of all allied transport losses despite their small number

Conventional U-boats faired less well

10 U-boats at -3 mod (new torpedoes have offset some ASW but again allied intelligence gets the upperhand) inflict 1 transport sank and 5 damaged

22 ASW at +3 get a 6/12 result. The attrition on the increasingly obsolete Type 7s and Type 9s is dreadful

But with the drawing in of allied transports from the pacific to the atlantic, an impressive 24 transports remain in the atlantic

[joegrundman]

The Voyage of the Tirpitz




The Tirpitz, Gneisenau and Graf Zeppelin strike out into the Atlantic after a few idle years

Times have changed and the force is detected and tracked by long range maritime patrol aircraft from an early stage. The US Navy sends out a force to contain them

The force that finally corners the axis warships consists of a huge force of CA8, CV3, BB5, BB3, BB3, BB4, BB4

The allied CV3 launches an airstrike with 2 NAS, but they are held off by the Graf Zeppelin's air at the loss of 1 NAS to the US, 0 to the Germans. The German counterstrike is similarly beaten off

The allied ships target the axis with 19 factors on the Tirpitz and 8 on the Gneisenau. The axis ships focus their fire on the BB5 Ohio

The allies roll a 7 on the Tirpitz, mod 6. 4 hits. The Tirpitz is overcome and sinks

The allies roll a 9 on the gneisenau, mod 8, 2 hits. Thje geniesenau is damaged

the axis roll a 3 mod 4, only 1 hit on the Ohio, which is hardly noticed by the men on board

Epilogue

The damaged Gneisenau and the Graf Zeppelin were eventually cornered again off the coast of Iceland.

The German commander appreciating that his situation was hopeless, and that he had no chance to inflict damage on the enemy, decided that his best course was the preservation of life.

He ordered the veteran warships to be scuttled. All the crewmen were picked up by US destroyers and taken to POW camps in the US.

[joegrundman]

Operation Letzte Gelegenheit




The Germans begin a counter-offensive to blunt the Russian advance in an optimisitcally named operation

The overstretched Luftwaffe throws everything into gain temporary air superiority over the proposed battlefields

Now the axis have the advantage that the newer jets in operation are in every way the supreme air supremacy fighter, but with only 1 jet factor currently in operation it's not enough to make it easy

Germany loses 2AAF and 1 jet factor, the USSR loses 6 AAF, and Germany has briefly obtained local superiority

The Ground assaults to cut the Russian armoured seaprheads are none the less desperate

On R30 in southern Germany, 23 factors assault a defense of 16 in a 1:1 attack - the first assault fails with heavy casualties (8 factors), but with some air support (and an air itnercept) a second attack is made at 1:1 with +1 mod - this time it is successful, at no further losses to the Germans

O33 in southern poland is also attacked mainly by isolated units at 1:1

This time however it is a disaster for Germany (rolling a 1)

The Russians win the most decisive land engagement so far with the German armoured divisions smashed by the massed T34s in this terrible failed offensive

Germany loses 20 factors




Attritrion on the western, med and chinese fronts does some damage but nothing remarkable

[joegrundman]

The 'Germany firsters' assert their influence amid rising tensions with Japan

The ceasefire with Japan holds, with tensions now at 48. American politicians focus the interests of the American people with the story of the annihiliation of the Regia Marina and the Kriegsmarine's best ships at the hands of the US Navy in the last few weeks.

British Commonwealth to take over the defense of the Bismarcks, as low-grade hostilities between Japan and Britain continue

[joegrundman]

The Western Front Offensive: race to the Western Wall

British airbase in Great Yarmouth and US airbase in Harwich allows the allies to assert 20 AAF over the Dutch area of the German line

allied counterair neutralises axis air in northern italy

Lyon is captured in a decisive and overwhelming action

A breakthrough is made over the Alps in a frontal assault using overwhelming air power to overcome the strong defenses

defense=12, ground units attacking - three 3-4 and a 5o6=14 and 10 AAF=2:1. The first attack is repelled for the loss of 6 factors! The second attack succeeds but with serious losses of another 6 factors! One of the bloodiest battles of the war so far for the western allies! The alps are littered with bodies and wreckages.

However the mission is successful and the British light armoured regiment exploits into Italy and before reinforcements can arrive, have taken Genoa!

In the North after capturing Brussels, the Hague and Luxembourg, the allies launch a major attack across the Rhine just south of the Hague.

The defense with the river is 12. The attack is three 5o6, a 4o5 and 5 AAF at 2:1 . This time the attack is crushing and the breakthrough is made without siginifcant loss to the allies

in an exploitation attack the allies capture Willhelmshaven and exploit as far as the Elbe!

the rocket bases on the channel ports are isolated and no longer threaten Britain

In Sicily, the allies attack MEssina at 3:1 with 6 factors vs 1 and some air cover. The allies lose 1 factor in the battle but sicily is now under allied control




Landings at Anzio

the italians make a very tough fight of it, the US losing 2 factors, but they have landed at Anzio after neutralising the italian AAF with some carrierborne NAS.

The americans lost 2 NAS in the operation.




there are also landings in Libya, Egypt and Palestine

[joegrundman]

Munich - Kolberg Strategic Offensive Operation

The Red Army begins it's concerted offensive into Germany

Counterair ops pave the way, neutralising the Luftwaffe from Berlin to Prague

6 German AAF lost for 8 Russian

Towards Kolberg the Russians spring the northern attack against a strongly held german position

two 3-3s (def 12) are attacked by 19 ground an 5 AAF at 2:1. The attack succeeds but at terrible cost. Russia loses 12 factors.

The expoloitation attack takes Kolberg from the light Finnish defenders at no further losses to Russia

Breslau

in the aftermath of the failed german offensive last turn, Breslau was overrun by advanceing russian forces, who captured the oil plant.

O31 is successfully attacked at 2:1 causing three factors of loss, but Russian armor exloits in to capture Dresden.

In the south a third attack occurs near Berchtesgarten at 2:1 . Also successful with no losses. Exploiting armour captures Munich

The end is surely nigh for Germany

[joegrundman]

Bombing of Berlin

British bombers get mauled by three jets, losing 3 bombers and 2 interceptors and having 3 more bombers get aborted. 1 jet is shot down, once again clearly proving that jets are definitely the air fighter of the future

5 bombers close with Berlin - the defenses are substandard and abort only 1 bomber while the bombers get a 1/2 result (5 brps). 4 bombers get thorugh and inflict an additional 12 brps of damage

19 brps on Berlin total by the RAF. The German oil plant in Berlin is damaged.

The USAAF strategic bombers also visit berlin

1 jet and 2 interceptors oppose it, shooting down 1 bomber, 1 interceptor and inverting 2 bombers for the loss of 1 interceptor.

3 bombers attack Berlin for 1/3, while Berlin's air defenses shoot down 1 bomber and abort another

one bomber gets through for an additional 3 brps

total for the USAAF daylight raids: 9 brps for 2 bombers and 1 interceptor

total losses to germany: 1 jet, 1 interceptor, 28 brps.

because no one attack exceeded 25 brps, Berlin was not firestormed.

[joegrundman]

Meeting on the Elbe!




forward detachements of American and Russian troops meet up on the Elbe as the armoured forces of each cut off German forces in the south west from Berlin

[joegrundman]

Pacific

The Royal Navy deploys to Port Moresby, and British and commonwealth deploy to Lae and Rabaul using small forces to evade Japanese interception




An African regiment has deployed to Noumea to press on with attritioning isolated Japanese forces

Japanese interception attempts fail.

[joegrundman]

Test for Surrenders:

German DP level =

3 base
+5 economy
+1 copenhagen and oslo
-1 allied control of hexes in germany
-1 breslau
-1 us troops in france
-1 firestorm of Cologne
=5

Germany does not surrender

Italian DP level

2 base
+2 baghdad and athens
+1 alexandria or suez
-1 allies control genoa
-1 allies control sicily
-1 allies in italy
+2 Italy doesn't surrender