Month: May 2016

End of Turn dispositions

Mainland Europe off-map holding box [end of turn]:

1-6 Tnk II 52 [turn reinf; sea transported towards Tripoli, in Libya, in a turn reinf NTP; first rolled a Contact on the Naval Table for Allied anti-shipping effects, then rolled a Return on the Shipping Results Table; returned to the mainland Europe off-map holding box]
.5 Italian inf Replacement Points (RPs) at the end of the Axis I. Phase and the Axis turn: 0 It inf RPs at the start of the turn, + .5 It inf RP reinforcement this turn, = .5; no It inf RP expenditures or movement this turn from here.
3 German inf RPs at the end of the Axis I. Phase and the Axis turn: 1.5 Ger inf RPs at the start of the turn, + 1.5 Ger inf RP reinforcements this turn, = 3; no Ger inf RP expenditures or movement this turn from here.
5 Ger ARPs at the end of the I. Phase and Axis turn: No Ger ARP expenditures this turn
4 It ARPs at the end of the I. Phase and Axis turn: The Axis player began the turn w/ 5 It ARPs, but at step 14 of the I. Phase 1 It ARP was expended to repair the G 50  3F3  0/6 air unit. The air unit was removed from the Aborted Air Units Box of the Med/NA Command Replacement Pool and placed on the maps at 18A:0403, in Sicily.

In Sicily [end of turn]:

Licata (18A:0102) [point city/minor port]:
3-cap permanent airfield
SM 79-1  2B3  1-5/22 [inop.; began turn here; early in the M. Phase flew a Malta Status bombing mission to the Valletta target hex, along w/ a larger Axis air op; rolled on the 3 column of the Antiaircraft Fire Table; Hit; rebased here]

Coast hex 18A:0403:
3-cap permanent airfield
MC 200 3F4 1/8 [inop; began turn here; early in the M. Phase flew a fighter on a bombing air mission w/ the Axis air op flying to the Valletta target hex; jettisons its bomb load after the Hurri 2 air unit based at Valletta flew the Intercept air mission; rebased here]
CR 42AS  3F3  1/8 [inop.; began turn here; early in the M. Phase it flew a fighter on a bombing air mission w/ the Axis air op flying to the Valletta target hex; jettisons its bomb load after the Hurri 2 air unit based at Valletta flew the Intercept air mission; rebased here]

Coast hex 18A:0603:
3-cap permanent airfield

Syracusa (18A:0702) [reference city/minor port]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Augusta (18A:0701) [point city/minor port]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Malta on the Oct I 41 Axis turn:

Malta Status: 10, at the start of the turn, + 1 for Malta Status bombing hits done in the M. Phase prior to the naval movement step, = 11 during this turn’s naval movement step and at the EOT.

Valletta hex (18A:0407) flack this turn: 8 (3 intrinsic + 1 for the Black  U-1 British 5 pos flk unit, + a total of 4 for the two Br 0-1-8 hv AA IIs’ 2 flack factors each, as this turn these two ground units are in special general supply via the 4 gsp’s successfully sea transported from Alexandria to Malta on the Sep II 41 Allied turn)

On this turn Malta Status air missions to the Valletta hex would roll on the 3 column of the Antiaircraft Fire Table, shifted two columns to the left, Per WW Rule 37I2a.

There were 4 gsp’s present in the Valletta hex at the start of the Axis player turn, and 5.5 REs of ground units on Malta. At step 11 of the I. Phase the Allied player designated the 0-4 Cons X MC unit as definitely Red U-2.  The recently arrived Br 5  pos flk unit began the turn at Black U-1 and is designated as definitely Black U-1.  The Br Hurri 2 F type air unit based at Valletta is in “special air unit supply” per WW Rule 24I3-Allied Malta Special Air Unit Supply. The gsp’s beginning the turn at Malta were generated at Gibraltar on the Oct I 41 Allied turn and sea transported to Valletta in the M. Phase of that turn.

Libya [end of turn]:

Tripolitania Garrison Box:
0-1-6* Inf III 290 GaF
0-1-6* Inf III 340 GaF
0-1-6* Inf III 350 GaF
0-2-6* Inf III 330 GaF

Tripoli (18A:0121) [clear terrain dot city/major port hex transportation line junction coast hex]:
Axis Supply Terminal marker
fort marker
0 pos flk unit  AA=3 [Italian]
5 steps of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]
2 steps of attack supply [turn reinfs; both were successfully sea transported to Tripoli in the M. Phase by turn reinf NTPs]
4.5 Ger arm Replacement Points (RPs) [began turn here, stored at the standard supply terminal; neither expended nor moved this turn]
1.5 Ger arm RPs [turn reinfs; began turn in the mainland Europe off-map holding box, at step 14 of then I. Phase; successfully sea transported to here in the naval movement step of the M. Phase in 3 turn reinf NTPs; disembarked and remained in the hex]
4 It inf RPs [began turn here; neither expended nor moved this turn]
1.2 It special inf RPs [generated this turn by Italian ground unit losses incurred at the battle for Tobruch; stored at the Axis standard supply terminal]
2 Ger inf RPs [began turn here; neither expended nor moved this turn]
1.25 Ger special inf RPs [generated this turn by German ground unit losses incurred at the battle for Tobruch; stored at the Axis standard supply terminal]

18A:0122 [Castel Benito; clear terrain secondary rail line hex, S of Tripoli]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Homs (18A:0522) [rough terrain point city/minor port road junction coast hex]:
vacant at the end of the E. Phase

18A:0924 [clear terrain road hex]:
one step of attack supply [began turn at Homs (18A:0522); in the E. Phase it spent 7 SMPs moving along the road to here]

Misurata (18A:1022) [clear terrain point city coast road hex]:
1-cap temporary airfield

18A:1026 [clear terrain road junction hex]:
2-10 Mot Inf III 288 SV (Ger) [turn reinf; began turn at step 14 of the I. Phase, in the mainland Europe off-map holding box; successfully sea transported to Tripoli (18A:0121), in Libya, in the naval movement step of the M. Phase, embarked on 2 turn reinf NTPs; after disembarkation at Tripoli it admin moved to Homs (18A:0522); exploited to here]

Sirte (18A:1727) [clear terrain point city coast road hex]:
fort marker
3-cap permanent airfield

18A:2730 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

El Agheila (18A:2930) [clear terrain point city coast road hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip
one step of attack supply [began turn at 18A:1327; in the E. Phase it spent 16 SMPs moving along the coast road to here]

Agedabia (18A:3327) [clear terrain point city road junction hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip

Bengasi (18A:3121) [clear terrain reference city/major port transportation line junction hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
12 port damage hit markers
4 pos flk  AA=1 [Italian; began turn here; never moved]
1-6 Inf III A [began turn here; unsupported breakdown component of the 3-6 Inf XX 25 Bol; never moved]
one step of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]

Soluch (18A:3222) [clear terrain point city secondary rail terminus hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

18A:3617 [rough terrain road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

18A:3618 [Maraua; rough terrain road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Derna (18A:4116) [rough terrain point city/minor port coast road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
3 port damage hit markers
6 Inf XX HQ A [began turn here; unsupported breakdown component of the 3-6 Inf XX 25 Bol; never moved]
0-6 Lt AA II  AA=1  38 [began turn here; never moved]
0-6 Cons III 5 A [began turn at 18A:4317; spent 2 MPs regular moving 2 road hexes to Derna and then spent its 4 remaining MPs repairing one hit of port damage there]
0-6 Cons III 10 A [began turn at 18A:4417; spend 3 MPs regular moving 3 road hexes to Derna and then spent its 3 remaining MPs towards the partial repair of a hit of port damage there]
0-8 Cons III Afr (Ger) [began turn at 18A:4619; regular moved to here]
1 Ger inf RP [began turn here; neither expended nor moved this turn]
1 It inf RP [began turn here; neither expended nor moved this turn]
Ju 88A4  4B5  3-7/26 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn at Ain el Gazala (18A:4518); in the C. Phase it provided GS for the attack on Tobruch; returned to base here]
BR 20M 3NB4 2-5/24 [inop.; began turn here; in the C. Phase it provided GS for the attack on Tobruch; returned to base here]
BR 20M 3NB4 2-5/24 [inop.; began turn here; in the C. Phase it provided GS for the attack on Tobruch; returned to base here]

18A:4218 [stony desert road hex]:
{one step of attack supply [began turn here; in the C. Phase it was expended in the Tobruch attack]}

Ain el Gazala (18A:4518) [clear terrain point city coast road hex]:
3-cap temporary airfield
8 Inf XX HQ 102 Trn [began turn here; never moved]
1-6 Inf III A [began turn at 18A:4618; moved one hex to here]
CR 42  3F3  0/9 [inop; began turn at 18A:3617; late in the E. Phase air transferred to here]
CR 42  3F3  0/9 [inop; began turn at 18A:3617; late in the E. Phase air transferred to here]
Ca 311  2B2  1/L/14 [inop.; began turn at 18A:3617; did a non-phasing air transfer to here late in the M. Phase of the Oct I 41 Allied turn; in the C. Phase it provided GS for the attack on Tobruch; returned to base here]

18A:4618 [clear terrain coast road hex, SE of Ain el Gazala]:
3-6 Inf XX 55 Sav [began turn at 18A:4719; regular moved 2 hexes to here]

18A:4420 [clear terrain hex]:
1-8 Mot Art III 1 AC [began turn at 19A:0218; regular moved to 18A:4818, S of Tobruch; participated in the Tobruch attack; exploited to here]
2-10 Mot Inf III 9 B [began turn at 18A:4718; regular moved to 18A:4819, 2 hexes S of Tobruch; exploited to here]

18A:4520 [sand hex]:
0-1-6* Inf III 280 GaF [began turn here; never moved]

18A:4619 [clear terrain hex]:
1-8 Mot Art III 2 AC [began turn at 18A:5017; regular moved to 18A:4918; participated in the Tobruch attack; exploited to here]
1-8 Inf III 61 [began turn at 18A:4918; regular moved to here]
1-8 Inf III 62 [began turn at 18A:4918; regular moved to here]

18A:4719 [clear terrain hex]:
1-8 Mot Art III 3 AC [began turn at a19A:0218; regular moved to 18A:4818, S of Tobruch; participated in the Tobruch attack; exploited to here]
1-8 Mot Inf III 65 [began turn at 18A:3423; admin moved 13 hexes along the roads to 18A:4618; exploited to here]
1-8 Mot Inf III 66 [began turn at 18A:3423; admin moved 13 hexes along the roads to 18A:4618; exploited to here]

18A:4718 [clear terrain coast road hex; SW of Tobruch]:
fort marker
3-cap temporary airfield
5-8* Inf XX 90 LA (Ger) [began turn here; never moved]
2-3-6 Art III 24 C [began turn at 18A:4818, S of Tobruch; spent 4 MPs moving 1 road hex to here, due to enemy ZOCs; participated in the Tobruch attack; remained in the hex]
Ju 87B 2D3 4-1/8 [inop.; Italian; began turn at Derna (18A:4116); in the C. Phase it provided GS for the attack on Tobruch; returned to base here]
Ju 87B  2D3  4-1/8 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn at 18A:4818; in the C. Phase it flew the GS air mission to the Tobruch target hex; Returned by flack; rebased here]
Ju 87B  2D3  4-1/8 (Ger LW) [inop; began the turn inoperative; flew the Harassment air mission on the prior Oct I 41 Allied turn]

18A:4818 [clear terrain road hex; S of Tobruch]:
3-cap temporary airfield
3-8* Arm Cadre 132 Ar [began the turn at 18A:4818, as the 7-6-8 Arm XX 132 Ar; the arm XX didn’t move in the M. Phase; it participated in the Tobruch attack; the arm XX was cadred as a result of the EX combat result; the arm cadre advanced into Tobruch after combat; then exploited back to here]
2-1-8 Lt Arm III 32 [began turn at 19A:0218; moved to 18A:4819, 2 hexes S of Tobruch; exploited to here]
3-4-6 Art III 5 A [began turn at 18A:4918; spent 4 MPs moving 1 road hex to here, due to enemy ZOCs; participated in the Tobruch attack; remained in the hex]
2-3-8 Art III 16 C [began turn at 18A:4619; regular moved 2 hexes to here; participated in the Tobruch attack; remained in the hex]
G 50bis  3F3  0/10 [operative; began turn here; never moved]
SM 79-2  2B3  3-4/V/20 [inop; began turn at 18A:4718; in the C. Phase it provided GS for the attack on Tobruch; returned to base here]
He 111H4  4B4  2-7/22 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn at Misurata (18A:1022); in the C. Phase it provided GS for the attack on Tobruch, after first staging to Bengasi; returned to base here]

18A:4918 [clear terrain coast road hex; SE of Tobruch]:
3-cap temporary airfield
fort marker [completed on the Sep I 41 Axis I. Phase]
3-6 Inf XX 17 Pav [began turn here; never moved]
2-10 Mot Inf III 7 B [began turn at 19A:0319; in the M. Phase it moved along the Egyptian coast road to Sidi Barrani (19A:0718), and then double backed to 19A:0218, capturing Sidi Barrani and the Egyptian coast road hexes in between for the Axis, including Halfaya Pass (19A:0419); exploited to here]
1-10 Mot Hv AA II  AA=2  I/18 (Ger LW) [began turn at 19A:0219; in the M. Phase it moved to 18A: 4818, where it assembled into the 2-10 Mot Hv AA III  AA=4  135 (Ger LW); the mot hv AA III participated in the Tobruch attack; at the beginning of the E. Phase the Ger LW mot hv AA III unit broke down again and this 1-10 hv AA II component exploited to here]
1-6 Tnk II 4 [began turn at 18A:5017; moved to 18A:4819, 2 hexes S of Touch; exploited to here]
3-4-8 Art III 221 (Ger) [began turn at 18A:4919; regular moved one hex to here; participated in the Tobruch attack; remained in the hex]
Me 109F1  6F6  1/8 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn here; flew the Intercept air mission in the C. Phase against the Allied air op in the Tobruch target hex; in air combat aborted the Br Hurri 1 F type air unit flying the Escort air mission; returned to base here]
Me 109E  7F5  1/7 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn here; flew the Intercept air mission in the C. Phase against the Allied air op in the Tobruch target hex; attacked the Allied mission force; in air combat rolled a (-) against the Br Blen 4 B type air unit flying the DAS air mission; returned to base here]
MC 200  3F4  1/8 [inop.; began turn here; flew the Intercept air mission in the C. Phase against the Allied air op in the Tobruch target hex; in air combat aborted the Br P-40C F type air unit flying the Escort air mission; returned to base here]

Tobruch (18A:4817) [clear terrain point city/standard port w/ a strong natural harbor unimproved fortress hex]:
8 Mot Inf XX HQ 101 Tre [began turn at 18A:3423; admin moved 13 hexes along the roads to 18A:4618; exploited to here]
4-8* Pz Cadre 21 (Ger) [began turn at 19A:0319, as the 9-10 Pz XX 21 (Ger); in the M. Phase the pz XX regular moved to 18A:4918; in the C. Phase the pz XX participated in the Tobruch attack; the pz XX was cadred as a result of the EX combat result; the pz cadre advanced into Tobruch after the combat; remained in the hex]
0-1-10 Mot Lt AA II  AA=1  617 (Ger) [began turn at 18A:4718; regular moved to 18A:4819, 2 hexes S of Tobruch; exploited to here]
MC 200  3F4  1/8 [inop.; began turn at 18A:4718; in the C. Phase it flew a fighter on a bombing mission and provided GS for the attack on Tobruch; returned to base here]

18A:4919 [clear terrain hex]:
9-10 Pz XX 15 (Ger) [began turn at 19A:0219; in the M. Phase it regular moved to 18A:4918; participated in the Tobruch attack; exploited to here]
3-10 Mot Inf III 115 (Ger) [began turn at 19A:0219; in the M. Phase it regular moved to 18A:4818; participated in the Tobruch attack; exploited to here]
1-10 Mot Hv AA II  AA=2  I/33 (Ger LW) [began turn at 19A:0319; in the M. Phase it moved to 18A: 4818, where it assembled into the 2-10 Mot Hv AA III AA=4 135 (Ger LW); the mot hv AA III participated in the Tobruch attack; at the beginning of the E. Phase the Ger LW mot hv AA III unit broke down again and this 1-10 hv AA II component exploited to here]
1-10 Mot AT II 605 (Ger) [began turn at 18A:4919; regular moved one hex to 18A:4818; participated in the Tobruch attack; exploited to here]

19A:0218 [clear terrain road junction hex, SE of Porto Bardiya]:
{one step of attack supply [began turn here; in the C. Phase it was expended in the Tobruch attack]}

Porto Bardiya (19A:0318) [clear terrain unimproved fortress/point city/minor port road terminus coast hex]:
unimproved fortress
5 port damage hit markers
3-6 Inf XX 27 Brs [began turn at 18A:5118; moved to here]

Crete [end of turn]:

Khania (18A:4403) [rough terrain reference city/standard port road terminus coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Erakleion (18A:4903) [rough terrain reference city/standard port coast road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

On Scarpanto [end of turn]:

Scarpanto (19A:0701) [rough port point city minor port hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

At Rodi [end of turn]:

Rodi (20A:2230) [clear terrain point city/standard port coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

20A:2331 [rough terrain coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Med/NA Replacement Pool [end of turn]:
1 x 2-6 Inf XX 60 Sbr
1 x 2-10 Mot Inf III 10 B
1 x 2-1-8 Lt Tnk III 3
2 x 1-8 Lt Tnk X 1,2
5 x 1-6 Tnk II 1, 3, 5, 6, 21
1 x Para Inf III Tonini
3 x 0-1-6* Inf III 300 GaF, 310 GaF, 320 GaF
1 x 3-4-6 Art III 24 dM
3 x 2-3-6 Art III 10 C, 20 C, 21 C
1 x 1-6 Art III 23 C
1 x 3-4-6 Art III 8 A [Jun I 41 Axis turn reinf; sunk in sea transit to Libya that turn by Allied anti-shipping, per the Naval Table]
1-8 Aslt Eng II 31 G [participated in the Tobruch attack on the Oct I 41 Axis C. Phase; part of the combat EX loss]
1-6 Hv AA II  AA=1  29 [participated in the Tobruch attack on the Oct I 41 Axis C. Phase; part of the combat EX loss]
4 x 0 pos flk unit AA=1 [Italian]

Med/NA Aborted Air Units Box:
{G 50  3F3  0/9 [Oct I 41 Axis ARP turn repair; placed at 18A:0403, in Sicily, at step 14 of the I. Phase; on the Sep II 41 Axis turn the unit had been aborted in air combat at the Valletta target hex by the Hurri 2 F type air unit]}
Me 110D  5HF5  4-2/12 (Ger LW) [aborted by Tobruch’s flack when flying the GS air mission to the Tobruch target hex on the Oct I 41 Axis C. Phase]
Ju 88A4  4B5  3-7/26 (Ger LW) [aborted by Tobruch’s flack when flying the GS air mission to the Tobruch target hex on the Oct I 41 Axis C. Phase]
Ju 88A4  4B5  3-7/26 (Ger LW) [aborted by Tobruch’s flack when flying the GS air mission to the Tobruch target hex on the Oct I 41 Axis C. Phase]

Med/NA Command Eliminated Air Units Box:
G 50  3F3  0/6 [Oct I 41 Axis turn ARP repair; placed at 18A:0403, in Sicily, at step 14 of the I. Phase; early in the M. Phase flew the Escort air mission for an air op flying to the Valletta target hex; engaged in air combat w/ the Br Hurri 2 t type air unit based at Valletta flying the Intercept air mission; Killed in the air combat]

Axis Near East Command

• On the Jul II 41 Axis turn the Vichy French Levant surrendered to the invading Allies, per the Allied player’s Variable Levant Surrender Table dice roll, done at step 13 of the Axis I. Phase. At the start of the Aug II 41 Axis turn all cities in the Levant were finally Allied-owned; and there were no remaining Axis forces in the Levant or in the Near East. And so at step 12 of the Aug II 41 Axis I. Phase, all land hexes in Syria and Lebanon were declared Allied owned.
• The Iranians surrendered on the previous Aug II 41 Axis I. Phase. There are still neutral pro-Axis hexes and airbases in Iran, but they are too far from friendly Axis bases to be of any use to the Axis war effort.
• This Axis turn, At step 2 of the I. Phase, the Axis player did the Fawzi al Qawukji action die roll, per WW Optional Rule 39E4, and came up with a 4: “Fawzi does not change mode and moves randomly during the upcoming movement phase”

In Armistice Syria [end of turn]:

21A:4621 [stony desert hex]:
Guerrilla unit Fawzi (Bandit) [guerrilla-capable bandit unit, in guerrilla mode; began turn here; remains in the hex, as per the two die rolls done for the random movement it could not move, due to its 2MP die roll and the APZOCs of the T-J 1-10 mot cav III adjacent to it; in its combat mode it is a 0-1-8 inf [II] unit]

In pro-Allied neutral Iraq [end of turn]:

• In the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario the pro-Axis Iraqi coup automatically occurs in the Apr I 41 Axis I. Phase.
• The Iraqi coup collapsed at step 4 of the I. Phase of the May II 41 Axis turn, when the Allied player rolled the dice checking for an Iraqi Coup Collapse, using the Variable Iraqi Coup Collapse Table, per WW Rule 38J5. The Iraqi army surrendered and all forces were then removed from the maps. All Iraqi hexes then became Allied-owned, except Mosul, which at that time contained a Ger LW air unit. This Ger LW air unit subsequently evacuated Iraq later in the May II 41 Axis turn. On the following Jun I 41 Allied turn a Br ground unit gained control of the Mosul hex, and thus the Allies had complete control of all hexes in newly pro-Allied Iraq.

21A:4318 [clear terrain hex]:

Guerrilla unit Fawzi (Bandit) [dummy guerrilla-capable unit, in guerrilla mode; began turn at 21A:4519; moved to here per the two die rolls done for the random movement]

Turn Activity

At step 2 of the I. Phase the Axis player does the Fawzi al Qawukji action die roll, per WW Optional Rule 39E4, and comes up with a 4:  “Fawzi does not change mode and moves randomly during the upcoming movement phase.”

At step 11 of the I. Phase the Allied forces at Tobruch are still isolated and most all the ground units there are at U-4 supply status, except the recently arrived Br Hurri 1 NF type air unit, which becomes Black U-1.  Also, the 2-8 Inf X 14, now becomes black U-3, and the 3-8 Mtn X Karp (Pol), now becomes Black U-2, and the Br  3-8 Inf X 22 G now becomes Black U-4. But all forces in the Tobruch hex are in special general supply due to the gsp’s available there at the supply determination step of the I. Phase. At Malta, 4 of the 5.5 ground unit REs are in special general supply by virtue of the 4 gsp’s at the Valletta hex. The two Br 0-1-8 hv AA IIs (AA = 2) are certainly in special general supply, and the recently arrived Br 5 pos flk unit is only Black U-1. In far away Iran, at Bushier (22A:5101), on the east coast of the Persian Gulf, the Ind 1-8 Inf X 17 unit technically becomes Black U-1 this turn, but is in special general supply via the single gsp at the near-by Iranian minor port hex of at Ganaweh (22A:4802).

At step 14 of the I. Phase the Axis player brings on his turn reinforcements to the mainland Europe off-map holding box.  He also spends one It ARP to repair the aborted G 50  3F3  0/6 air unit, and places it at 18A:0403, at Sicily.  He does no other ARP or RP builds at this time, nor does he transfer any of his RPs in the mainland Europe holding box to 18A on-map ports or airfields at Sicily.

At step 16 of the I. Phase the Allied player converts the single step of attack supply at Tobruch into 12 new gsp’s, per WW Rule 12C4b.

At step 22 of the I. Phase neither side performs any CAP, Harassment, or Naval Patrol air missions.

At step 24 of the I. Phase the Allied player removes from the map the 12 old gsp’s at Tobruch that were generated there on the earlier Sep I 41 Axis phase from a step of attack supply then at the hex.

The first thing the Axis player does in the M. Phase is send an air op to the Valletta hex (18A:0407), at Malta. It is escorted by the G 50 3F3 0/6 air unit based at 18A:0403, at Sicily. The MC 200 3F4 1/8 and the CR 42AS 3F3 1/8 air units, both also beginning the turn at 18A:0403, fly the fighter on a bombing air mission. The SM 79-1 2B3 1-5/22 air unit based at Licata (18A:0102), in Sicily, also flies in the air op to the Valletta target hex. The Br Hurri 2 5F5 1/9 air unit based at Valletta flies the Intercept air mission at the Valletta target hex and engages the recently repaired G 50 F type air unit in air combat, and this time Kills it; the G 50 air unit rolls a (-). When the Axis sees the Hurri 2 air unit is flying the Intercept air mission, the MC 200 and CR 42AS F type air units flying the bombing air missions jettison their bomb loads, but remain with the small air mission group. After the fighter air combat the Allied player rolls for his flack shot against the SM 79-1 B type air unit on a Malta Status strat bombing air mission, using the 3 column of the the Antiaircraft Fire Table, and comes up with a no effect. But when the Axis player rolls on the Bombing table, using the 5 column, he gets a Hit, which increases the Malta status to 11.  Both sides’ involved air units then rebase at their respective airfields.

In the Movement Phase the Axis player moves all three of his on-map construction units, two Italian and the German Afr cons III, to the Derna (18A:4116) minor port hex.  One It cons III fixes one of the damage hits to the port capacity of Derna, and another spends its 3 remaining MPs towards fixing another damage hit to its port capacity.  The Ger cons III ends its movement at Derna with 1 MP remaining, but the way I play the game, a cons/eng unit cannot add its MPs to the partial construction labor of another cons/eng unit for a particular increment of repair or construction, nor can it begin construction of another increment of repair/construction if a preliminary increment is only partially done.

Basically, the Axis player moves his ground units in the Tobruch zone in preparation for another major assault of the hex, which he figures will be either a straight-up 3 to 2 or a 2 to 1, if he uses again the It 1-8 Asslt Eng II 31 G to gain the critical +1 modifier against the fortress.  In his final M. Phase dispositions in the Tobruch zone he must take into account the possibility of an AR result, or an EX result.  He moves the 3-6 Inf XX 27 Brs into the Porto Bardiya hex (19A:0318) in order to keep the Allied player out of that unimproved fortress the next turn, regardless of what happens in the Tobruch attack.  It might become a “sacrificial lamb” for the protection of the greater bulk of the Afrika Korps, or it might not, all depending on what happens at Tobruch and then what the Allied player does.

The attack on Tobruch this turn is one of those dread tasks imposed by the demands of the world war upon those who do it.  The consequences are almost unimaginable in terms of potential costs to both sides.  But for the Axis to do nothing means either to wait for the Allied player to attack when he is good and ready, or else to meekly execute a strategic retreat, and admit to fearing both the attack on Tobruch and the Crusader offensive of the 8th Army, and this the cardboard Rommel cannot do.  After all, it was his strategy that got the Axis in the predicament it is in.  And a strategic retreat now would come at the worst of times in terms of weather in the E zone notch in Libya, in the rough terrain region of the Cyrenaica.   A weather change there could put the Axis in an awful maneuver bind, if it would not trap those Axis units in the mud weather zone in the Cyrenaica and ultimately cause them to be separated from the rest of the Axis army in Libya remaining in the clear weather F zone, somewhere to the south, or the southwest, in Tripolitania.  And so this turn the Axis side is compelled to do his wild attack against the improved fortress of Tobruch, come what may.

The Allied player is not completely without defensive options.  He does in fact have a single Br Blen 4  3B3  1-2/23 air unit based at 19A:0918, which is close enough to Tobruch to fly a DAS air mission to it, and there is a Br P-40C  5F5  1/13 air unit there to provide escort.  There is also a Hurri 1  5NF5  1/8 air unit based at Tobruch which could provide escort, or perhaps DAS, also.  In the C. Phase the Allied player sends the Blen 4 B type air unit on the DAS air mission to the Tobruch target hex and utilizes the two previously mentioned F type air units for escort at Tobruch.  The two Allied escort fighter units are unlucky and get aborted, but by a miracle the Blen 4 B type survives the air combat with the Ger LW Me 109 E air unit.  In the DAS air Mission Resolution Step, the Axis player gets a 2 factor flack shot at the Blen 4 B type air unit, per WW Rule 22B1, 4th bullet; but Luck still flies with the British bomber crews and the Axis player rolls high, using the Antiaircraft Fire Table, for a miss.  And after all the single Blen 4 air unit adds its .5 DAS adjusted tac factor to the Tobruch hex’s 20 ground unit defense factors.

The Axis player sends in virtually every available Axis air unit in range of Tobruch with a tac factor good for GS, excepting only the three Axis fighter air units thrown against the Allied DAS air op, comprised of the single Blen 4 B type air unit and escorted by the Hurri 1 and P-40C F type air units.  But still the Blen 4 air unit makes it through the gauntlet of formidable Axis fighters, although the two escorting Allied fighter units are aborted with no corresponding intercepting Axis fighter unit losses.  Meanwhile, three Axis units flying the GS air mission are aborted by Tobruch’s 3 factor flack shot, and one is returned.  Afterwards a raw air unit tac factor total of 18 is tallied, but due to the GS stipulations of WW Rule 20G2b-Ground Support (GS) and WW Optional Rule 20G4-Air Support Limits, this raw tac factor is whittled down to 17.  But then this diminished raw tac total is halved for the improved fortress, per the Fortifications Chart, found on the GE Terrain Effects Chart, and used in WW games.  The final adjusted Axis GS tac factor total is 8.5 factors.

The Axis player attacks Tobruch with a total of 19.5 adjusted non-artillery attack factors and 13 artillery attack factors.  And so 8.5 + 19.5 + 13 = 41.  The Allied player has 20 ground unit defense factors in Tobruch, + .5 DAS tac factors for a total of 20.5, and so the Axis attacks Tobruch at a straight-up 2 to 1 odds, the -1 modifier for the improved fortress being off-set by the +1 for the assault engineer modifier, per WW Rules 14A2&3.  The Axis player rolls the die and it comes up a 4: EX; and so after 4 tries Tobruch has finally fallen to the Axis after a bloody assault.

Axis ground units participating in the Tobruch assault:
1-8 Asslt Eng II 31 G = 1 adjusted RE; attacks w/ 2 adjusted attack factors
1-6 Hv AA II 29 = .5 RE; attacks w/ 1 adjusted attack factor
1-10 Mot AT II (Ger) 605 = .5 RE; attacks w/ .5 adjusted attack factor
2-10 Mot Hv AA III (Ger LW) = 1 RE; attacks w/ 2 adjusted attack factors
3-10 Mot Inf III 115 (Ger) = 1 RE; attacks w/ 1.5 adjusted attack factors
9-10 Pz XX 15 (Ger) = 2 RE; attacks w/ 4.5 adjusted attack factors
9-10 Pz XX 21 (Ger) = 2 RE; attacks w/ 4.5 adjusted attack factors
7-6-8 Arm XX 132 Ar = 2 RE; attacks w/ 3.5 adjusted attack factors.

The above tallies to 10 REs of ground units, w/ an adjusted 1 RE being combat eng capable, and with an adjusted attack factor total of 19.5.

Axis artillery units participating in the Tobruch attack:
3-4-8 Art III 221 (Ger)
3-4-6 Art III 5 A
2-3-8 Art III 16 C
2-3-6 Art III 24 C
1-8 Mot Art III 1 AC
1-8 Mot Art III 2 AC
1-8 Mot Art III 3 AC.

The above tallies to 13 artillery attack factors.

After the combat all the Allied ground units at Tobruch are eliminated and are placed in the Middle East Command Replacement Pool.  The Allied player receives no special replacements for these eliminated ground units, as they were isolated in a single hex.

Per the Exchange result, the Axis player is required to eliminate 18 printed attack factors of Axis units actually participating in the attack, which is equal to the printed attack factors of the eliminated Allied ground units at Tobruch.  He cadres the 9-10 Pz XX 21, he cadres the 7-6-8 Arm XX 132 Ar, he must eliminate the 1-8 Asslt Eng II 31 G, and lastly he eliminates the Italian 1-6 Hv AA II 29.  The two Axis c/m cadres advance into Tobruch after combat.

The Axis player receives 1.25 Ger sp inf RPs and 1.2 It sp inf RPs for his unisolated combat losses, which are required to be stored at their Tripoli standard supply terminal, per WW Optional Rule 40B4-Special Replacements.

Commentary

The fall of Tobruch brings up several issues regarding Europa in WW games.  First, it appears to me right now that it’s likely that in about half the WW ME/ER-II games Tobruch will eventually fall to the Axis in 1941, if he persists in the straight-up 2 to 1 attacks, as has been the case here, in the EA game reports. This is when the Axis player uses the Italian 1-8 Asslt Eng II 31 G for the +1 modifier, as then he needs not fear in any event the AH or AE result.

Another issue of Europa wargame strategy focuses strictly on this game alone, as it might be that had the Allied player another forward airfield available (eg., a second one, the first one being already present at 19A:0918) in west-central Egypt on the Oct I 41 Axis turn, at perhaps 19A:0919, and with at least one other Blen 4 B type air unit and the other SAAF P-40C F type air unit based there, he might have been able to have just enough DAS present at the Tobruch hex to make the attack a 3 to 2.  The Allied player could also have attempted to air transfer more Hurri 1 air units into Tobruch on his previous Oct I 41 turn.  But the construction of this additional airfield implies a further difficult increase of strategic efficiency based on foresight.  The utilization of several Blen 4 B types on the DAS air mission, along with the two P-40C F types for escort, and also attempting one or two Hurri 1 air unit transfers to Tobruch on the prior turn in the face of available Axis fighter units in intercept range presents a dicey series of air combat rolls of unknown results.  And even then, assuming many or all these second thought “what ifs” go right for the Allied side, the Axis player can still roll a DR at a 3 to 2, completely eliminating the Allied side without any Axis losses, which would be a stunning Axis victory.  

In this turn’s EA commentary for our truncated and customized WW ME Campaign Scenario, we will not take into account the patent Allied hazards in the Iraq, Levant, or Crete campaigns, which are separate issues from what took place here this turn in the Western Desert.  These other peripheral campaigns are themselves fraught with frustrations, roadblocks, disappointments, delays, dilemmas, and defeats for the Allied side, and full of opportunities, victories, and stunning battle coup potentialities for a crafty Axis desert fox, with little or no risks at all to his Afrika Korps main force busy in the Western Desert fiddling with Tobruch and the 8th Army in Egypt.  But in 1941 that seems to be the name of the game in the Middle East–known here as “Wavell’s War”.

 

End of Turn dispositions

Malta [{beginning of turn}/end of turn]:

• Malta Status: 10, end of turn [at turn’s start 12, – 2 repairs this turn, at step 19 of the I. Phase = 10]
• Malta Repair Rate: beginning on the Jul I 41 turn, 2 repair points each I turn and 1 repair point each II turn, per the WitD Allied OB booklet.
• At the start of the Allied turn there were 4 gsp’s present in the Valletta hex. However, there are 5 REs of ground units on Malta, so the Allied player designates the 0-4 Cons X MC as the 1 RE unit that is definitely Red U-2, and makes the rest of the ground units at Malta technically U-2, but in special general supply by tracing to the available gsp’s at Valletta. Malta’s intrinsic flack is not affected by supply, as in the EA game reports for the WW 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario we are not using WW Optional Rule 12E4-Intrinsic AA and General Supply Effects.

Valletta (18A:0407) [rough terrain point city major port hex, w/ a strong natural harbor]:
3-cap permanent airfield; one hit of damage

• Valletta hex flack factor: 7 (3 intrinsic, + a total of 4 for the two Br 0-1-8 hv AA II units now in special general supply)

3-6* Inf X 1 M [technically Red U-2]
3-6* Inf X 3 M [technically Red U-2]
0-1-8 Hv AA II  AA=2  10 [technically Red U-2]
0-1-8 Hv AA II  AA=2  4 [technically Red U-2]
0-4 Cons X MC [definitely Red U-2]
5 pos flk unit  AA=1 [British; sea transported to here from Gibraltar in a turn reinf NTP in the naval movement step of the M. Phase; disembarked at Valletta and remained in the hex, as it had no MPs left after its long voyage]
Hurri 2  5F5  1/9 [operative; began turn here; never moved]
4 gsp’s [sea transported to here from Gibraltar in a W Med NTP in the naval movement step of the M. Phase of the current Allied turn]
{4 gsp’s [sea transported from Alexandria in an E Med NTP in the naval movement step of the Sep II 41 Allied M. Phase; removed from the maps at step 24 of the current Allied I. Phase]}

18A:0307 [rough terrain hex, NW of Valletta]:

• This hex currently has an intrinsic flack factor of 2, per the WW Intrinsic Light AA Summary, found on Game Play Chart 2–Air War.

2-6* Inf X 2 M [began turn at the adjacent Valletta hex (18A:0407); technically Red U-2; moved to here]

In Libya [end of turn]:

Tobruch (18A:4817) [clear terrain fortress point city standard port road junction hex, w/ a strong natural harbor]:

• Improved fortress; construction of the improved fortress was completed in the May II 41 Allied I. Phase.
• Per the WW Airbase Summary, improved fortresses have a permanent airfield capacity of 1.

3-cap temporary airfield
one hit of airfield damage [at the start of the turn the Tobruch hex had three hits of airfield damage, but 2 hits of damage were repaired by the 0-1-4 cons X expending 4 MPs in the M. Phase]
0-1-4 Cons X 66 RPC (Col) [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4; spent 4 MPs in the hex repairing two hits of airfield damage]
3-8* Mtn X Karp (Pol) [began turn here; never moved; technically Black U-1]
7-8 Inf XX 50 Nth [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4]
0-1-8 Hv AA II  AA=2  51 [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4]
3-8 Inf X 22 G [began turn here; never moved; technically Black U-3]
2-8 Inf X 14 [began turn here; never moved; technically Black U-2]
3-8 Art X 13 [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4]
Hurri 1  5NF5  1/8 [inop.; began turn at Alexandria; late in the M. Phase it air transferred to here, at night]
12 gsp’s [generated at step 16 of the Sep II 41 Axis I. Phase from a step of attack supply present in the Tobruch hex; these provide special general supply this turn and in the following Oct I 41 Axis turn; they will be removed from the maps at step 24 of the Oct I 41 Axis I. Phase, after the step 11 supply determination step]
one step of attack supply [turn reinf; successfully sea transported into Tobruch in the naval movement step of the M. Phase of the current Allied turn, in 3 turn reinf NTPs]

In Egypt [{beginning of the turn}/end of turn]:

19A:0818 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
6-4-6 Arm X 32 T [began turn here; never moved]
1-10 Recon II 6 (SA) [began turn here; never moved]
1-10 Recon II 4 (SA) [turn reinf; disembarked at Alexandria and railed to 19A:0919, then moved one hex to here; remained in the hex]
3-8 Art X 10 [began turn here; never moved]
5 pos flk unit  AA=1 [British; began turn here; never moved]
5 pos flk unit  AA=1 [British; began turn here; never moved]

19A:0819 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
7-6-10* Arm XX 2 [assembled from its component parts at the end of the M. Phase]

• 3-2-10 Arm X 7 [began turn here; never moved; assembled into the 7-6-10* Arm XX 2 at the end of the M. Phase]
• 3-2-10 Arm X 22 [turn reinf; disembarked at Alexandria and railed to 19A:0919, then moved one hex to here; assembled into the 7-6-10* Arm XX 2 at the end of the M. Phase]
• 1-10* Mot SG X  AA=1  2 [began turn here, in the M. Phase it moved westwards along the Egyptian coast road, capturing for the Allies in all the Egyptian coast road hexes previously owned by the Axis, up to and including 19A:0519 and Sidi Barrani (19A:0718), and then it double backed and returned to here; assembled into the 7-6-10* Arm XX 2 at the end of the M. Phase]

2-1-10* Lt Arm X 9 [began turn here; never moved]
1-10* Mot Inf X 3 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]

19A:0920 [clear terrain hex]:
6-4-6 Arm X 1 T [began turn at 19A:0819; regular moved to here; remained in the hex]
1-2-10* Mot SG X  AA=1  7 [began turn at 19A:0819; regular moved to here; remained in the hex]
1-8 Art II 1 (Aus) [began turn here; never moved]
1-8 AT II 65 [began turn here; never moved]
1-10 Recon II 1 DG [began turn at 19A:0818; regular moved to here; remained in the hex]

19A:0919 [clear terrain hex; containing the Tobruch-Matruh railway line completed in the M. Phase of this turn]:
railhead marker

• The Matruh-Tobruch railhead marker was not advanced this turn, as a cons/eng unit was not in place for its construction.  The last time the railhead marker advanced was into this hex, in the Sep II 41 Allied M. Phase, from 19A:1019.

2-8* Inf X 151 [began turn here; never moved]
2-8 Inf X 16 (Aus) [unsupported component of the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 6; the inf XX began the turn at 19A:1018 and broke down into its unsupported component parts at the beginning of the M. Phase; this component part regular moved one hex to here]
one step of attack supply [began turn at 19A:0819; in the M. Phase it spent 3 SMPs to move one hex to here]
7 gsp’s [4 gsp’s were railed to here from Alexandria and 3 gsp’s were railed to here from Suez]

19A:0918 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
3-cap temporary airfield [completed on the Sep II 41 Allied turn]
2-8* Inf X 150 [began turn here; never moved]
1-2-8 Eng X 8 [turn reinf; sea transported to Alexandria in a turn reinf NTP and disembarked; railed to 19A:0919 and then moved one hex to here]
Hurri 1 5F5  1/8 (SAAF) [operative; began turn here; never moved]
P-40C  5F5  1/13 [operative; began turn here; never moved]
Blen 4  3B3  1-2/23 [inop; began turn here inoperative; flew the Harassment air mission on the Sep II 41 Axis turn]

19A:1018 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
{7-8 Inf XX 6 (Aus) [began turn here; at the beginning of the M. Phase it broke down into its unsupported component parts]}
8 Inf XX HQ 6 (Aus) [unsupported component of the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 6; the inf XX began the turn here and broke down at the beginning of the M. Phase; this component part remained in the hex]
2-8 Inf X 17 (Aus) [unsupported component of the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 6; the inf XX began the turn here broke down at the beginning of the M. Phase; this component part remained in the hex]
2-8 Inf X 19 (Aus) [unsupported component of the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 6; the inf XX began the turn here and broke down at the beginning of the M. Phase; this component part remained in the hex]

19A:1119 [clear terrain major rail line (Matruh to Tobruch railway) hex, SW of Matruh]:
7-8 Inf XX 2 (SA) [began turn here; never moved]

Matruh (19A:1218) [clear terrain point city/minor port road-major rail line junction coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
fort marker
2-8* Inf X 26 (Aus) [began turn here; never moved]
1-8 MG II 1 RNF [began turn at 19A:0919; regular moved to here]
0-1-8 Hv AA II  AA=2  68 [began turn here; never moved]
0-8 Marine Cmdo II ME [began turn at 19A:0920; regular moved to here]
one step of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]
P-40C  5F5  1/13 (SAAF) [operative; began turn here; never moved]
Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 (RAAF) [operative; began turn here; never moved]
Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 [inop.; began turn here; in the naval movement step of the M. Phase it flew the CAP air mission over the all-sea hex at 19A:0717, N of Sidi Barrani; returned to base here at the end of the naval movement step]

19A:1319 [major rail line coast hex, SE of Matruh]:
3-cap temporary airfield
2-8* Inf X 20 (Aus) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 9; never moved]
2-8* Inf X 24 (Aus) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 9; never moved]
0-8 Hv AA II  AA=1  2 (Aus) [began turn here; never moved]
Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 [operative; turn ARP repair; placed at Alexandria at step 14 of the I. Phase; late in the M. Phase it air transferred to here]
A-22  3A3  2-1/19 (SAAF) [inop.; began turn here inoperative; flew the Harassment air mission on the Sep II 41 Axis turn]
Blen 4  3B3  1-2/23 [inop.; began turn here inoperative; flew the Harassment air mission on the Sep II 41 Axis turn]

19A:1418 [clear terrain major rail coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
0-8 Lt AA II  AA=1  57 [began turn here; never moved]
A-22  3A3  2-1/19 [inop.; began the turn at 19A;1319; late in the M. Phase it air transferred to here]
Well 1C  3NB4  1-6/28 [inop.; began turn here; late in the M. Phase it flew a night Port strat Bombing air mission to the Derna hex, in Libya, Miss; rebased here]
Well 1C  3NB4  1-6/28 [inop.; began turn here; late in the M. Phase it flew a night Port strat Bombing air mission to the Derna hex, in Libya, Miss; rebased here]

19A:1419 [clear terrain hex]:
8 Inf XX HQ 2 (NZ) [began turn here; never moved]
2-8 Inf X 6 (NZ) [began turn here; never moved]
2-8 Inf X 4 (NZ) [began turn here; never moved]

19A:1520 [clear terrain hex]:
2-8* Inf X 7 (Ind) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 4 (Ind); never moved]
2-8* Inf X 6 (SA) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 1 (SA); never moved]

19A:1521 [clear terrain hex]:
2-8* Inf X 5 (Ind) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 4 (Ind); never moved]
2-8* Inf X 3 (SA) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 1 (SA); never moved]

19A:1621 [clear terrain hex, adjacent to Qattara Depression]:
2-8* Inf X 11 (Ind) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 4 (Ind); never moved]
2-8* Inf X 1 (SA) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 1 (SA); never moved]

El Alamein (19A:2119/20A:5033) [clear terrain point city major rail coast road hex]:
3-cap temporary airfield
fort marker [completed in the Jul II 41 Allied I. Phase]

Alexandria (20A:4930/19A:2416) [full city hex/major port major rail line coast hex]:
Supply Terminal marker
3-cap permanent airfield
2-8* Inf X 161 [began turn here; supported breakdown of the Br 7-8* Inf XX 6;]
0-8 Lt AA II  AA=1  27 [British; began turn here; never moved]
Glad  3F3  0/8 [inop.; began turn at Ismailia (20A:3516); late in the M. Phase it air transferred to here]
Bombay  1T2  1-2/15 [operative; began turn here; late in the E. Phase of the Sep II 41 Axis turn it did a non-phasing air transfer to here from Nicosia, on Cyprus; never moved]
one step of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]
two steps of attack supply [turn reinfs; both disembarked at Suez in the naval movement step of the M. Phase; both railed to here]

Cairo (19A:3219) [full city hex transportation line junction hex, NW of the Cairo partial city hex]:
0-1-6 RR Eng X MEF (Emp) [began turn here; Egypt Garrison eng/cons unit; never moved]

• This unit can’t move from here w/out violating the Egypt Garrison eng/cons unit provision, unless another 1 RE eng/cons unit takes its place.

Cairo (19A:3320) [clear terrain partial city hex, SE of the Cairo full city hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Ismailia (20A:3516) [sand reference city/standard port/Suez Canal transportation line junction hex]:
1-8 Cav X 6 [began turn here; never moved]

Suez (19A:3718) [clear terrain reference city/major port transportation line nexus coast hex]:
Supply Terminal marker
1-8 Cav X 5 [began turn here; never moved]

El Arish (19A:4012) [sand major rail line coast hex, in the Sinai, in Egypt]:
2-8 Eng X 1 (Aus) [began turn at 19A:0918; moved one hex to 19A:0919, where it entrained, and railed to here]

In Palestine [end of turn]:

• Per WW Game Play Chart 5–Allied Garrisons, the Palestine garrison requirement is 3 REs of Garrison-category units. The Allied garrisons are determined at step 17 of the Allied I. Phase. However, per WW Rule 37E4, Forming units in the ME Replacement Pool count at their regular RE size for the Palestine Garrison requirement, as do also ME Replacement Pool units, but they count at 1/3 their regular RE size. In addition to the 1.5 Garrison-capable REs present on-map in Palestine, the Allied player is counting some of the 3.5 Garrison-capable REs in the Forming Box of the Middle East Command Replacement Pool. See below, in the Middle East Replacement Pool section, for further details.

Haifa (20A:4710) [clear terrain dot city/major port transportation line junction coast hex]:

• Railhead marker [per WW Rule 41B1a-Western Desert Campaign Starting Conditions, “the transportation line from Haifa to Tripoli (20A:4005) is a road, not a railroad.” This stipulation is used in the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario.

3-8* Inf X 1 FL (FF) [began turn here; never moved]

20A:4810 [clear terrain major rail line hex]:
0-1-6 Cons X 61 RPC (Col) [began turn at Matruh (19A:1218), in Egypt; railed to here]

20A:4911 [clear terrain major rail line hex]:
0-1-4 Cons X 43 RPC (Col) [began turn at 19A:0919; railed to here]

Tel Aviv (19A:4308 [clear terrain dot city/minor port major rail line junction coast hex]:
2-8 Inf X 29 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]

Allied Units in Armistice Lebanon & Syria [end of turn]:

• Per the WW Game Play Chart 5–Allied Garrisons (Rule 37E), it appears the Allied player is fulfilling the garrison requirements for the Vichy French Levant, and has been since the beginning of the Allied invasion of the the Levant on the Jun I 41 Allied turn.

Beyrouth (20A:4207) [rough terrain dot city/standard port transportation line junction coast hex]:
2-8* Inf X 25 (Aus) [began turn here; supported component of the 7-8 Inf XX 7 (Aus); never moved]

Tripoli (20A:4005) [rough terrain reference city/minor port transportation line coast hex]:

• Railhead marker [per WW Rule 41B1a-Western Desert Campaign Starting Conditions, “the transportation line from Haifa to Tripoli (20A:4005) is a road, not a railroad.” This stipulation is used in the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario.

2-8* Inf X 18 (Aus) [began turn here; supported component of the 7-8 Inf XX 7 (Aus); never moved]

Lattique (20A:3405) [clear terrain reference city/minor port road terminus coast hex]
2-8* Inf X 21 (Aus) [began turn here; supported component of the 7-8 Inf XX 7 (Aus); never moved]

Homs (20A:3902) [clear terrain reference city transportation line junction hex]:
hit marker on reference city airbase

Hama (20A:3702) [clear terrain reference city major rail line hex]:
hit marker on reference city airbase

Alep (21A:3231) [clear terrain partial city transportation line junction hex]:
vacant

21A:4220 [clear terrain hex]:
1-10 Mot Cav III AL (T-J) [Arab Legion; began turn at 21:4721, in Iraq; regular moved to 21A:4219, in Syria; exploited one hex to here]

• This is a provisional new unit introduced in the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario on the May I 41 Allied turn. For more details, see that posted EA game report.

On Cyprus [end of turn]:

Limassol (20A:3615) [clear terrain point city/standard port coast road hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip

Famagusta (20A:3411) [clear terrain point city/standard port coast road hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip

Nicosia (20A:3414) [clear terrain reference city road hex]:
1-8 MG II 2 Ch [began turn here; Black U-1; never moved]
1-8 Inf II 11 (CS) [began turn here; Black U-1; never moved]

Larnaca (20A:3513) [clear terrain point city/minor port road hex]:
one gsp [generated at Suez at step 14 of the I. Phase of the current Allied turn; sea transported to here in the naval movement step of the Allied M. Phase in an E Med NTP]

Non Phasing Axis Air Activity in the Allied Exploitation Phase:
Late in the M. Phase the It  Ca 311  2B2  1/L/14 air unit based at 18A:0603, at Sicily, air transferred to 18A:3617, in Libya.

Middle East Command Replacement Pool [{beginning of turn}/end of turn]:
3-8 Inf X 5 (NZ) [moved to here from Balkan Command Replacement Pool]
3-2-10 Arm X 4 [in the WW 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario this unit is at-start in the ME Replacement Pool, per F. Watson’s ER-II Europa battle scenario, published in TEM#71]
3-2-10 Arm X 1 [moved to here from Balkan Command Replacement Pool; this is the original pre-conversion unit of the one sent to Greece]

Aborted Air Units Box:

{Hurri 1 5F5 1/8 [turn ARP repair; placed at Alexandria at step 14 of the I. Phase; in the prior Sep II Axis turn it was aborted in air combat over the Tobruch target hex]}
Eliminated Air Units Box:

Blen 4  3B3  1-2/23 [in the Jun I 41 Allied C. Phase it participated in the first Allied attack in the Vichy French Levant, flying the GS air mission at 20A:4607; it was Killed in air combat there by the bypassing Vichy Fr D 520 F type air unit, flying the Interception air mission to the target hex]

Forming Box:

3-8* Mtn X 1 (Gk) [counted as part of the Palestine Garrison]
0-1-8 Inf II Gd (Yugo) [counted as part of the Palestine Garrison]
2-8* Inf X 2 FL (FF) [placed here at step 14 of the Aug I 41 Allied I. Phase after the Allied conquest of the Levant, per the WitD Allied French Conditional Reinforcements: Forces from the Levant, in the WitD Allied OB booklet, p. 6; this unit will be Full on the Apr II 42 Allied turn; this turn it counted as part of the Levant Garrison]
1-2-6 Inf X 3FL (FF) [placed here at step 14 of the Aug I 41 Allied I. Phase after the Allied conquest of the Levant, per the WitD Allied French Conditional Reinforcements: Forces from the Levant, in the WitD Allied OB booklet, p. 6; this unit will be Full on the May II 42 Allied turn]

The Allied Near East (NE) Command on the Oct I 41 Allied turn:

• Iraqi coup collapse occurred in the May II 41 Axis I. Phase, per the dice roll done then using the Variable Iraqi Coup Collapse Table. At that time all Iraqi forces/production were removed from the map and the Iraq Replacement Pool. By the end of the I. Phase all Iraqi territory was Allied owned; except in our case the Mosul hex, which at the time contained the Axis Conditional Reinforcement Ger LW Mxd A type air unit. Seeing that the Iraqi coup had indeed collapsed, the Axis Conditional Reinforcement promptly air transferred out of the Mosul hex later in the May II 41 Axis turn, and Mosul was captured by the Allies in the following Jun I 41 Allied turn.
• The current Allied Iraqi railnet-cap is 3 1/2.
• At step 14 of the Sep II 41 Allied I. Phase the Allied player transferred back to the Middle East Command the 10 SMPs that had been transferred to the Near East Command on the Aug I 41 Allied turn, per WW Rule 12H2b. They cannot be used in the ME Command until the following Oct I 41 Allied turn.
• At step 4 the Aug II 41 Axis I. Phase Iran surrendered to the Allies, per the Iranian Surrender Table. All Iranian forces surrendered to the Allies and were removed from the map.

In pro-Allied Iraq [end of turn]:

• Per the WW Game Play Chart 5–Allied Garrisons (Rule 37E), it appears the Allied player is fulfilling the garrison requirements this turn, for Iraq. This would be per the horizontal line reading: “EJIS [Jul II 41] – Sep I 41”. For a more detailed discussion of the Iraq garrison, see the Jul I 41 Allied game report.

21A:4921 [stony desert pump station road hex]:
2-8 Inf X 10 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]

Rutbah (21A:5023) [stony desert point city road junction hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip
2-8 Inf X 9 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]
Audax  1A1  1/8 [operative; began turn here; never moved]

Ramadi (22A:2830) [clear terrain reference city road hex]:
1-8 Inf X 20 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]

Habbaniya (22A:2828) [clear terrain point city road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
0-1-4 Static II 1 As (Col) [began turn here; never moved]

Baghdad 22A:2825 [clear terrain partial city transportation line junction hex]:
one hit marker on the airbase
8* Inf XX HQ 10 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]
2-8 Inf X 25 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]

Shaibah (22A:4314) [clear terrain secondary rail line hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
0-1-4 Static II 2 As (Col) [began turn here; never moved]

Basra (22A:4313) [clear terrain dot city/major port, w/ a major river hexside]:
Allied Supply Terminal marker
8 Inf XX HQ 5 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]
2-8 Inf X 19 (Ind) [began turn here; formerly an unsupported component of the 6-8* Inf XX 8 (Ind); never moved]
0-8 Lt AA II  AA=1  1 [turn reinf; British; disembarked here from a turn reinf NTP and remained in the hex]
1-pt river flotilla AA=1 PAIC (RN) [began turn here; never moved]
2 steps of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]
3 gsp’s [generated here at step 16 of the I. Phase of the current Allied turn; the 4th gsp generated in the I. Phase at Basra was later sea transported in the naval movement step of the M. Phase to Ganaweh (22A:4802), in Iran, on the east coast of the Persian Gulf, in an E Med NTP]

In Iran [end of turn]:

Karaj (32:1413) [clear terrain point city major rail line/road junction hex]:
2-8 Inf X 24 (Ind) [began turn at 32:1419; regular moved to here along the transportation lines; on the way it captured reference city Kasun (32:1217) for the Allies]

22A:2807 [rough terrain major rail line hex]:
2-8 Inf X 21 (Ind) [began turn at Burujird (32:2420); regular moved to here; on the way it captured point city Kharramabad (22A:2711) for the Allies]

32:1710 [clear terrain major rail line hex]:
2-1-10* Lt Arm X 252 (Ind) [began turn at 32:1505; regular moved 6 hexes along the secondary rail line to point city Damghan (32:1101), at the edge of map 32, and then double backed along the secondary rail line to 32:1402, ending the M. Phase there; on the way it captured reference city Samnan for the Allies; in the E. Phase it exploited along the transportation lines to here]

Ahwaz (22A:3810) [clear terrain reference city major rail line-road junction hex]:
8* Inf XX HQ 8 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]

Bandar Shahpur (22A:4407) [clear terrain point city/standard port major rail line terminus island hex, w/ a causeway to the mainland]:
2-8 Inf X 18 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]

Ganaweh (22A:4802) [clear terrain point city/minor port coast hex]:
one gsp [began turn at step 16 of the I. Phase at Basra, when it was generated along w/ three other gsp’s; this one was sea transported to here in the naval movement step of the M. Phase, in an E. Med NTP]

Bushier (22A:5101) [clear terrain point city/minor port road terminus hex]:
1-8 Inf X 17 (Ind) [began turn at Ganaweh (22A:4802), on the Iranian Persian Gulf coastline; Black U-1; regular moved to here, capturing the point city for the Allies]

Turn Activity

The weather die roll was a 1 this turn, and so it is clear in the E, D, and C weather zones. Part of the C weather zone is visible in northern Iran on map 32, as is also part of D weather zone, but on map 32 both these weather zones are in the Soviet occupation zone and therefore are not a factor in the new Scenario. On the WD map group of 18A and 19A, (and 20A) the rough terrain notch of the Cyrenaica is in weather zone E, as is part of the coastal littoral of Palestine, and all of the coastline of Lebanon and NW Syria. In addition to these North African and West Asian mainland areas that are indicated on the WD map group, a number of Mediterranean islands are also in weather zone E, namely: Cyprus, Crete, the Dodecanese, Sicily, and Malta. On the Oct I 41 game turn the weather is automatically clear in weather zones E and F (eg., the F weather zone prevailing in the Western Desert and Mesopotamian regions).

At step 11 of the I. Phase the Allied ground and air units at the isolated Tobruch hex that began the turn at technically Red or Black U-4 essentially remain at this U-4 status, as per WW Optional Rule 12E, U-4 is in effect the most severe supply status for a unit. All ground units and the two air units beginning the turn at Tobruch are in special general supply at step 11 of the I. Phase due to the 12 gsp’s in the hex. These twelve gsp’s were generated from a step of attack supply present in the hex on the Sep II 41 Axis I. Phase. They will be removed from the maps at step 24 of the Oct I 41 Axis I. Phase, after the supply determination step for that turn. At Malta, at the supply determination step of the I. Phase, 4 of the 5 REs of Allied ground units are declared technically Red U-2, but in special general supply via the 4 gsp’s which were sea transported to Valletta in the previous Sep II 41 Allied turn.  The Br 0-4 Cons X MC at the Valletta hex, on Malta, is the ground unit designated as being definitely Red U-2.

At step 14 of the I. Phase the Allied player spends one ARP to repair the Br Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 air unit in the Aborted Air Units Box of the Middle East Replacement Pool and places it at Alexandria. He does no other RP or ARP builds. He could rebuild the Br Blen 4  3B3  1-2/23 air unit in the Eliminated Air Units Box of the Middle East Command, but wants to wait another turn before doing this, in case more valuable Allied air units are aborted or eliminated in the meantime, which he thinks might happen, under the circumstances.

At step 16 of the I. Phase the Allied player generates 4 new gsp’s at the Suez, Alexandria, and Basra (in Iraq) Allied Standard Supply terminals.

At step 22 of the I. Phase the Axis player flies the Ger LW Ju 87B  2D3  4-1/9 air unit based at 18A:4718, SW of Tobruch, on the Harassment air mission to hex 18A:5020. From the same 3-cap temporary airfield adjacent to Tobruch the Axis player assigns to the Naval Patrol air mission the It SM 79-2  2B3  3-2/V/20 air unit. The Ger LW Ju 87B D type air unit based at the 3-cap temporary airfield at 18A:4818, S of Tobruch, is also assigned to the Naval Patrol air mission.  The two CR 42  3F3  0/9 air units based at 18A:3617, in Libya, both fly a CAP air mission.  One flies the CAP air mission over the Bengasi hex, at 18A:3121; the other flies the CAP air mission over the Derna hex, at 18A:4116.

At step 24 of the I. Phase the Allied player removes from the maps the old 4 gsp’s at the Valletta hex, on Malta. The gsp’s at Malta were generated on the previous Sep II 41 Allied I. Phase.

In the naval movement step of the M. Phase the Allied player does a series of naval transport activities in the East and Central Mediterranean sea zones. This turn he will very likely be compelled to attempt to sea transport to Tobruch one of his turn reinforcement steps of attack supply. The subsequent naval actions done this turn are listed below in sequential order.  This turn, after the step 14 of the I. Phase replacement of some of his eliminated NTP assets, the Allied player has 8 E Med NTPs and also his single W Med NTP available for his sea transport requirements.

The first naval transport of the Allied naval movement step are 4 fresh gsp’s generated this turn at off-map Gibraltar and embarked on the Allied player’s single available W Med NTP. In this same naval group from Gibraltar is a turn reinf NTP carrying the turn reinf Br 5 pos flk unit, which the Allied player wants to get to Malta, and so he opts to bring this cargo naval group on-map from Gibraltar, per the WW Rule 40A3 Special #3 proviso.  The cargo naval group enters the west edge of map 18A at all-sea hex 0107, and both NTPs survive the Naval Table dice rolls for Axis anti-shipping effects in the Cent Med sea zone, and so they continue their voyage to the port of Valletta, at Malta, where the 4 gsp’s and the 5 pos flk unit finally disembark.

Now, taking out and scrutinizing the Torch map group of maps 24A and 25A, which would be the western parts of the vast map group comprising a WW War in the Desert (WitD) Campaign Scenario, which encompasses both Gibraltar and Malta on the war game maps, we see that there is an 84 naval movement point count through 82 all-sea hexes from Gibraltar to Valletta (18A:0407) inclusive [82 n.m. points for the all-sea hexes, +2 n. m. points for the island coast hex, = 84], assuming the Allied naval group enters WD map group map 18A at the west edge all-sea hex 0107, which is one of the closest west edge hexes to Malta.  Adding the 30 naval MPs for its embarkation and the 30 MPs for its disembarkation to the 84 naval movement point count for the voyage of the 5 pos flk unit, we see that per the WW Naval Transportation Costs Summary, found on Game Play Chart 3–Naval War, it has no ground MPs left for the ground movement step of the M. Phase.

At this time the Allied player sends the Br Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 air unit based at Matruh (19A:1218) on the CAP air mission to all-sea hex 19A:0717, north of Sidi Barrani, certainly in preparation of a big convoy to Tobruch.

After this the Allied player sends one of the turn reinf steps of attack supply towards Tobruch, which begins the turn at step 14 of the I. Phase embarked on 3 turn reinforcement NTPs at all-sea hex 19A:5126, at the SE edge of the map in the Red Sea.  After entering the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal this naval group continues on a westwardly course, mostly along the Egyptian coastline.  At Egyptian coast hex 19A:0918 it veers NW to all-sea hex 19A;0817, thereby avoiding the Axis-held Sidi Barrani coastal hex, and ultimately preparing to enter all-sea hex 19A:0717, the last daylight hex before the final all night leg of the voyage to Tobruch.  But as has been his habit at this stage of the game, the Axis player declines to engage in a major aero-naval battle at the all-sea target hex 19A:0717, evidently saving his assigned Naval Patrol air units for just the Allied naval groups voyaging from Egypt to Malta.  The cargo naval group continues its westward voyage, and upon entering the Cent Med sea zone at 18A:5117 rolls good on the Naval Table, thereby evading the Axis anti-shipping forces, and finally enters the safety of the Tobruch harbor.

Then the Allied player brings in his turn reinforcement ground units, per the WitD Allied OB booklet, and all his turn reinforcement Replacement Point (RP) production, all embarked in turn reinforcement NTPs, and sends the whole lot in a large cargo naval group to the Alexandria hex, where they disembark.  However, due to port capacity considerations, he sea transports the two remaining turn reinforcement steps of attack supply to Suez, where they disembark. Then an E Med NTP embarks 1 gsp generated at Suez earlier in the I. Phase and transports it to the port of Larnaca (20A:3513), in Cyprus, where it is disembarked.  Finally, in the far away Persian Gulf, on map 22A, an E Med NTP embarks one of the gsp’s generated in the I. Phase at Basra, in Iraq, and transports it to the Iranian port of Ganaweh (22A:4802) on the east coast of the Persian Gulf, where it disembarks.

At the very end of the naval movement step the Allied player rebases the Br Hurri 1 F type air unit flying the CAP air mission over the all-sea hex at 19A:0717 at Matruh.

In the M. Phase the Allied player rails two of the Col 0-1-4 Cons Xs and the Aus 2-8 Eng X 1 in the Egyptian Western Desert towards the Levant, intending to have them in Lebanon by the end of the upcoming Allied Oct II 41 turn.  That way they can be in place there at step 17 of the I. Phase of the Nov I 41 Allied turn, when required Garrison compliances are checked, and thereby enable the Allies to presumably then finally be in compliance with the Haifa-Tripoli RR garrison requirement as indicated on the Allied Garrisons chart, found on WW Game Play Chart 5–Allied Garrisons.  If three 1RE cons/eng units are in Lebanon at the beginning of the Nov I 41 turn, and remain there until the end of a WW Middle East Campaign Scenario game, which ends at the competition of the Jan II 43 game turn, then the Haifa-Tripoli RR should be finished, and this act of competition presumably fulfills the WW Allied garrison requirement.  The 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario is based on the WW Middle East Campaign Scenario.

With the arrival of the 3-2-10 Arm X 22 turn reinf, the Allied player is finally able to assemble a British armored XX again, which he has been unable to do since the costly Sep I 41 Allied turn 6-4-6 Arm X 32T conversion, which left him with only one 3-2-10 arm X on the maps.  However, in our case, he elects not to assemble this turn the probably preferred and much more used 7-10* Arm XX 7, but rather he assembles the weaker and probably much less used 7-6-10* Arm XX 2, in order to keep on-map the broken down Br 1-2-10* Mot SG X 7 unit, which he feels he needs at another hex in the desert front line shield in west-central Egypt.

Turn rail movement inventory on the Middle East railnet:

• 2 REs = the 3-2-10 Arm X 22 turn reinf; disembarked at Alexandria and entrained there
• 1 RE = the 1-2-8 Eng X 8 turn reinf; disembarked at Alexandria and entrained there
• 1 RE = the 1-10 Recon II 4 (SA) turn reinf; disembarked at Alexandria and entrained there
• 1 RE = the 0-1-4 Cons X 61 RPC (Col); began the turn at Matruh, where it entrained
• 1 RE = the 2-8 Eng X 1 (Aus); began the turn at 19A:0918; moved one hex to major rail line hex 19A:0919, where it entrained
• 1 RE =the 0-1-4 Cons X 43 RPS (Col); began the turn at 19A:0919, where it entrained
• 6 REs = the two turn reinf steps of attack supply that disembarked at Suez, where they both entrained
• 1 RE = 4 gsp’s, which were generated at Alexandria at step 16 of the I. Phase, where they entrained
• .75 REs = 3 gsp’s, which were generated at Suez at step 16 of the I; Phase, where they entrained.

Allied Middle East rail net railcap: 16, per ER-II Allied OB Initial Forces, Mar II 41 Axis turn.

Allied Middle East (ME) Command and Near East (NE) Command SMP Recap/Update:

The Allies began the WW 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario with 25 SMPs, per F. Watson’s ER-II Europa battle scenario Mar II 41 Allied at-start OB.  On the Aug I 41 Allied turn, 10 ME Command SMPs were transferred to the  Allied NE Command.  These same 10 SMPs were subsequently  transferred back to the ME Command on the Sep II 41 Allied turn, and were available for use this turn in the ME Command.  Then this turn, per the WitD Allied OB booklet, 10 additional SMPs Arrived in the ME Command from East Africa.  So, by the M. Phase of the current Oct I 41 Allied turn the Allied player has a total of 35 SMPs available for use in the ME Command.  In the NE Command the Allied player currently has 10 SMPs available for use.  5 SMPs Arrived there on the Coup Turn 3/May I 41 Allied turn, in this particular game, per the WitD Allied OB booklet, under the Allied Conditional Reinforcements Iraqi Coup Reaction Forces listings, on p. 5; and 5 more SMPs Arrived there on the Aug I 41 Allied turn, per the WitD Allied OB booklet.

At the beginning of the Allied turn the Allies had the following Replacement Point (RP)/ARP inventory in his ME Command: 11.5 Br inf, 2.5 Br arm, 1.5 Aus inf, 2.5 NZ inf, 3 Ind inf, and 5 Allied ARPs, all of which were stored in Alexandria.  At step 14 of the I. Phase one ARP stored at Alexandria is expended to repair the Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 air unit.  At that time it was removed from the Aborted Air Units Box of the Middle East Command Replacement Pool and placed at the Alexandria hex, in Egypt.

This turn the Allied player receives a number of production RPs as Middle East Command Arriving Reinforcements.  By the end of the naval movement step of the M. Phase the Allied player has the following new inventory of Middle East Command RPs/ARPs stored at the Alexandria hex:  13.5 Br inf, 3.5 Br arm, 2.5 Aus inf, 3 NZ inf, 4 Ind inf, and 4 Allied ARPs.

Commentary

The Allied player is getting very close to being ready to launch a Western Dessert offensive.  Next turn he can build with Br arm Replacement Points another 3-2-10 arm X, which would strengthen his attack clout.  He presently has 5 steps of attack supply in Egypt, although he will likely attempt to sea transport one of them to Tobruch his next turn.  He can take no more from his Near East Command, as the Iraq/Iran Garrison requirement calls for two steps of attack supply to be present there, which is what he presently has, and per the WitD Allied OB booklet there are no more reinforcement steps of attack supply in store for the NE Command.

At the end of the Allied turn the big question is what will the Axis do next turn, which likely means:  Will they attack Tobruch, or not?  Right now the Allied player feels he could use another forward airfield at maybe 19A:0919, where the railhead marker is, and mulls whether he should have let the Aus 2-8 Eng X 1 unit build even a small 1-cap temporary airfield there, and then rail away towards Lebanon.

In any event, until the Allied player attacks the Afrika Korps, and attacks with a writhing blow, he will have to count on the wayward die to get him off the hook when and if the Axis player rolls it for the war prize of Tobruch.

 

End of Turn dispositions

Mainland Europe off-map holding box [end of turn]:

0 Italian inf Replacement Points (RPs) at the end of the Axis I. Phase and the Axis turn:  No It inf RP reinforcements this turn or RP expenditures or movement.
1.5 German inf RPs at the end of the Axis I. Phase and the Axis turn:  No Ger inf RP reinforcements this turn or RP expenditures or movement.
5 Ger ARPs at the end of the I. Phase and Axis turn:  The Axis player began the turn w/ 6 Ger ARPs, but 1 Ger ARP was expended to repair the Me 109E  7F5  1/7 (Ger LW) air unit, which was removed from the Aborted Air Units Box of the Med/NA Command Replacement pool and placed on the map at 18A:4718, SW of Tobruch, at step 14 of the I. Phase.
5 It ARPs at the end of the I. Phase and Axis turn:  The Axis player began the turn w/ 7 It ARPs, but 2 It ARPs were expended to repair the CR 42AS  3F3  1/8 and the MC 200  3F4  1/8 air units.  Both these air units were removed from the Aborted Air Units Box of the Med/NA Command Replacement Pool and placed on the maps at step 14 of the I. Phase.  The CR 42AS F type air unit was placed at 18A:3617, in Libya, and the MC 200 F type air unit was placed at 18A:0403, in Sicily.

In Sicily [end of turn]:

Licata (18A:0102) [point city/minor port]:
3-cap permanent airfield
SM 79-1  2B3  1-5/22 [inop.; began turn here; early in the M. Phase flew a Malta Status bombing mission to the Valletta hex; rolled on the 3 column of the Antiaircraft Fire Table; Hit; rebased here]

Coast hex 18A:0403:
3-cap permanent airfield
MC 200  3F4  1/8 [inop; turn ARP repair, placed here at step 14 of the I. Phase; early in the M. Phase it flew a fighter on a bombing air mission in a larger air op to the Valletta target hex; after the Br Hurri 2 F type air unit flew the Intercept air mission the MC 200 air unit jettisoned its bomb load; rebased here]
CR 42AS  3F3  1/8 [inop.; turn ARP repair; placed at 18A:3617, in Libya, at step 14 of the I. Phase; late in the E. Phase air transferred to here]

Coast hex 18A:0603:
3-cap permanent airfield
Ca 311  2B2  1/L/14 [inop.; began turn at Ain el Gazala (18A:4518), in Libya; late in the E. Phase air transferred to here]

Syracusa (18A:0702) [reference city/minor port]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Augusta (18A:0701) [point city/minor port]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Malta on the Sep II 41 Axis turn:

Malta Status: 11, at the start of the turn, + 1 for Malta Status bombing hits done in the M. Phase prior to the naval movement step, = 12 during this turn’s naval movement step and at the EOT.

Valletta hex (18A:0407) flack this turn: 7 (3 intrinsic + a total of 4 for the two Br 0-1-8 hv AA IIs’ 2 flack factors each, as this turn these two ground units are in special general supply via the 4 gsp’s successfully sea transported from Alexandria to Malta on the Sep II 41 Allied turn)

On this turn Malta Status air missions to the Valletta hex would roll on the 3 column of the Antiaircraft Fire Table, shifted two columns to the left, Per WW Rule 37I2a.

There were 4 gsp’s present in the Valletta hex at the start of the Axis player turn, and 5 REs of ground units on Malta. The Allied player designates the 0-4 Cons X MC as the designated 1 RE unit that is definitely Red U-2.  The Br Hurri 2 F type air unit based at Valletta is in “special air unit supply” per WW Rule 24I3-Allied Malta Special Air Unit Supply.  The gsp’s beginning the turn at Malta were generated at Alexandria on the Sep II 41 Allied turn and sea transported to Valletta in the M. Phase of that turn.

Libya [end of turn]:

Tripolitania Garrison Box:
0-1-6* Inf III 290 GaF
0-1-6* Inf III 340 GaF
0-1-6* Inf III 350 GaF
0-2-6* Inf III 330 GaF

Tripoli (18A:0121) [clear terrain dot city/major port hex transportation line junction coast hex]:
Axis Supply Terminal marker
fort marker
0 pos flk unit  AA=3 [Italian]
5 steps of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]
4.5 Ger arm Replacement Points (RPs) [began turn here, stored at the standard supply terminal; neither expended nor moved this turn]
4 It inf RPs [began turn here; neither expended nor moved this turn]
2 Ger inf RPs [began turn here; neither expended nor moved this turn]

18A:0122 [Castel Benito; clear terrain secondary rail line hex, S of Tripoli]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Homs (18A:0522) [rough terrain point city/minor port road junction coast hex]:
one step of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]

Misurata (18A:1022) [clear terrain point city coast road hex]:
1-cap temporary airfield
He 111H4  4B4  2-7/22 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn at Bengasi (18A:3121); late in the E. Phase air transferred to here]

18A:1327 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
one step of attack supply [began turn at 18A:0925; in the E. Phase spent 5 SMPs exploiting to here]

Sirte (18A:1727) [clear terrain point city coast road hex]:
fort marker
3-cap permanent airfield

18A:2730 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

El Agheila (18A:2930) [clear terrain point city coast road hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip

Agedabia (18A:3327) [clear terrain point city road junction hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip

Bengasi (18A:3121) [clear terrain reference city/major port transportation line junction hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
12 port damage hit markers
4 pos flk  AA=1 [Italian; began turn here; never moved]
1-6 Inf III A [began turn here; unsupported breakdown component of the 3-6 Inf XX 25 Bol; never moved]
one step of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]

Soluch (18A:3222) [clear terrain point city secondary rail terminus hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

18A:3423 [stony desert road hex, SE of Zaulet Msus]:
8 Mot Inf XX HQ 101 Tre [began turn at 18A:1427; admin moved 16 hexes along the coast road to 18A:3029; exploited to here]
1-8 Mot Inf III 65 [began turn at 18A:1427; admin moved 16 hexes along the coast road to 18A:3029; exploited to here]
1-8 Mot Inf III 66 [began turn at 18A:1427; admin moved 16 hexes along the coast road to 18A:3029; exploited to here]
18A:3617 [rough terrain road hex]:

3-cap permanent airfield
CR 42  3F3  0/9 [inop; began turn at Ain el Gazala (18A:4518); late in the E. Phase air transferred to here]
CR 42  3F3  0/9 [inop.; began turn at Ain el Gazala; late in the E. Phase air transferred to here]

18A:3618 [Maraua; rough terrain road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Derna (18A:4116) [rough terrain point city/minor port coast road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
3 port damage hit markers
6 Inf XX HQ A [began turn here; unsupported breakdown component of the 3-6 Inf XX 25 Bol; never moved]
0-6 Lt AA II  AA=1  38 [began turn here; never moved]
BR 20M  3NB4  2-5/24 [inop.; began turn here; in the middle of the E. Phase it flew a night strat port bombing air mission to Matruh (19A:1218), in Egypt; Returned by the Matruh flack; rebased here]
Br 20M  3NB4  2-5/24 [inop.; began turn here; in the middle of the E. Phase it flew a night strat port bombing air mission to Matruh, in Egypt; Miss; rebased here]
Ju 87B  2D3  4-1/8 [inop.; Italian; began turn at 18A:0603, at Sicily; late in the E. Phase it flew an air transfer air mission to here]
1 Ger inf RP [began turn here; neither expended nor moved this turn]
1 It inf RP [began turn here; neither expended nor moved this turn]

18A:4218 [stony desert road hex]:
one step of attack supply [began turn at El Ageheila (18A:2930); in the E. Phase spent 18 SMPs exploiting to here]

18A:4317 [stony desert road hex]:
0-6 Cons III 5 A [began turn at 18A:4719; regular moved to here]

18A:4417 [stony desert road junction hex, NW of Ain el Gazala]:
0-6 Cons III 10 A [began turn at 18A:4819; regular moved to here]

Ain el Gazala (18A:4518) [clear terrain point city coast road hex]:
3-cap temporary airfield
8 Inf XX HQ 102 Trn [began turn here; never moved]
Ju 88A4  4B5  3-7/26 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn at Sirte (18A:1327); early in the E. Phase flew a tac bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; first staged to 18A:3618 (Maraua); Returned by Tobruch’s flack; rebased here]
Ju 88A4  4B5  3-7/26 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn at Sirte (18A:1327); began turn here; early in the E. Phase flew a tac bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; first staged to 18A:3618 (Maraua); Returned by Tobruch’s flack; rebased here]
Ju 88A4  4B5  3-7/26 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn at Sirte (18A:1327); early in the E. Phase flew a tac bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; first staged to 18A:3618 (Maraua); evaded Tobruch’s flack and bombed the airfield; Hit; rebased here]

18A:4618 [clear terrain coast road hex, SE of Ain el Gazala]:
1-6 Inf III A [began turn here; never moved]

18A:4520 [sand hex]:
0-1-6* Inf III 280 GaF [began turn at 18A:4720; regular moved 2 hexes to here]

18A:4619 [clear terrain hex]:
0-8 Cons III Afr (Ger) [began turn at Porto Bardiya (19A:0318); regular moved to here; in so doing it abandoned the 1-cap temporary airfield it began constructing there on the Sep I 41 Axis turn, w/ 2 MPs already spent towards construction]
2-3-8 Art III 16 C [began turn at Porto Bardia; regular moved to here]

18A:4719 [clear terrain hex]:
3-6 Inf XX 55 Sav [began turn at 18A:4819; moved one hex to here]

18A:4718 [clear terrain coast road hex; SW of Tobruch]:
fort marker
3-cap temporary airfield
5-8* Inf XX 90 LA (Ger) [began turn here; never moved]
1-8 Aslt Eng II 31 G [began turn here; never moved]
2-10 Mot Inf III 9 B [began turn at 18A:2227; admin moved along the road to 18A:3821; exploited to here]
0-1-10 Mot Lt AA II  AA=1  617 (Ger) [began turn at 18A:2227; admin moved along the road to 18A:3821; exploited to here]
MC 200  3F4  1/8 [inop.; began turn at 18A:4918, SE of Tobruch; early in the E. Phase flew a fighter on a bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; evaded Tobruch’s flack and bombed the airfield; Hit; rebased here]
Ju 87B  2D3  4-1/8 (Ger LW) [inop.; began the turn here inoperative; in the previous Sep II 41 Allied turn it flew the Harassment air mission]
SM 79-2  2B3  3-4/V/20 [operative; began turn here; never moved]

18A:4818 [clear terrain road hex; S of Tobruch]:
3-cap temporary airfield
7-6-8 Arm XX 132 Ar [began turn here; never moved]
2-3-6 Art III 24 C [began turn at 18A:4718, SW of Tobruch; regular moved one hex to here]
Me 110D  5HF5  4-2/12 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn here; early in the E. Phase flew a fighter on a bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; evaded Tobruch’s flack and bombed the airfield; Hit; rebased here]
G 50bis  3F3  0/10 [operative; began turn here; never moved]
Ju 87B  2D3  4-1/8 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn here; early in the E. Phase flew a tac bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; evaded Tobruch’s flack and bombed the airfield; Miss; rebased here]

18A:4918 [clear terrain coast road hex; SE of Tobruch]:
3-cap temporary airfield
fort marker [completed on the Sep I 41 Axis I. Phase]
3-6 Inf XX 17 Pav [began turn here; never moved]
1-8 Inf III 61 [began turn here; never moved]
1-8 Inf III 62 [began turn here; never moved]
3-4-6 Art III 5 A [began turn here; never moved]
Me 109F1  6F6  1/8 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn here; early in the E. Phase flew the Escort air mission with the big Axis air op flying to the Tobruch target hex; engaged in aerial combat w/ the Br Hurri 1 F type air unit based at Tobruch; rolled a (-); rebased here]
Me 109E  7F5  1/7 (Ger LW) [inop.; turn ARP repair; placed at 18A:4718, SW of Tobruch, at step 14 of the I. Phase; early in the E. Phase flew the Escort air mission with the big Axis air op flying to the Tobruch target hex; engaged in aerial combat w/ the Br Hurri 1 F type air unit based at Tobruch, after its initial combat w/ the Me 109F1 air unit; rolled an Abort; rebased here]
MC 200  3F4  1/8 [inop.; began turn here; early in the E. Phase flew a fighter on a bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; evaded Tobruch’s flack and bombed the airfield; Miss; rebased here]

18A:4919 [clear terrain hex]:
1-10 Mot AT II 605 (Ger) [began turn at 19A:0218; regular moved to here; remained in the hex]
1-6 Hv AA II  AA=1  29 [began turn at 18A:4718, SW of Tobruch; regular moved to here]
3-4-8 Art III 221 (Ger) [began turn at 18A:4818, S of Tobruch; regular moved one hex to here]

18A:5017 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
1-6 Tnk II 4 [began turn here; never moved]
1-8 Mot Art III 2 AC [began turn here; never moved]

18A:5118 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
3-6 Inf XX 27 Brs [began turn at 18A:4620; regular moved to here]

19A:0218 [clear terrain road junction hex, SE of Porto Bardiya]:
2-1-8 Lt Arm III 32 [began turn at 18A:5118; moved one hex to here; remained in the hex]
1-8 Mot Art III 1 AC [began turn here; never moved]
1-8 Mot Art III 3 AC [began turn at 18A:5118; moved one hex to here; remained in the hex]
one step of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]

Porto Bardiya (19A:0318) [clear terrain unimproved fortress/point city/minor port road terminus coast hex]:
unimproved fortress
5 port damage hit markers
vacant at the end of the M. Phase

19A:0319 [clear terrain coast road hex, S of Porto Bardiya]:
9-10 Pz XX 21 (Ger) [began turn here; in the M. Phase it moved along the Egyptian coast road to Sidi Barrani (19A:0718), and then double backed to here, capturing Sidi Barrani and the Egyptian coast road hexes in between for the Axis; afterwards remained in the hex]
2-10 Mot Inf III 7 B [began turn here; never moved]
1-10 Mot Hv AA II  AA=2  I/33 (Ger LW) [began turn here; never moved]

19A:0219 [clear terrain hex]:
9-10 Pz XX 15 (Ger) [began turn here; never moved]
3-10 Mot Inf III 115 (Ger) [began turn here; never moved]
1-10 Mot Hv AA II  AA=2  I/18 (Ger LW) [began turn here; never moved]

Crete [end of turn]:

Khania (18A:4403) [rough terrain reference city/standard port road terminus coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Erakleion (18A:4903) [rough terrain reference city/standard port coast road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

On Scarpanto [end of turn]:

Scarpanto (19A:0701) [rough port point city minor port hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

At Rodi [end of turn]:

Rodi (20A:2230) [clear terrain point city/standard port coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

20A:2331 [rough terrain coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Med/NA Replacement Pool [end of turn]:
1 x 2-6 Inf XX 60 Sbr
1 x 2-10 Mot Inf III 10 B
1 x 2-1-8 Lt Tnk III 3
2 x 1-8 Lt Tnk X 1,2
5 x 1-6 Tnk II 1, 3, 5, 6, 21
1 x Para Inf III Tonini
3 x 0-1-6* Inf III 300 GaF, 310 GaF, 320 GaF
1 x 3-4-6 Art III 24 dM
3 x 2-3-6 Art III 10 C, 20 C, 21 C
1 x 1-6 Art III 23 C
1 x 3-4-6 Art III 8 A [Jun I 41 Axis turn reinf; sunk in sea transit to Libya that turn by Allied anti-shipping, per the Naval Table]
4 x 0 pos flk unit AA=1 [Italian]

Med/NA Aborted Air Units Box:

G 50  3F3  0/9 [aborted in air combat this Sep II 41 Axis turn early in the M. Phase by the Hurri 2 F type air unit at the Valletta target hex]

Med/NA Command Eliminated Air Units Box:

vacant

Allied non-Phasing Air Unit Transfers Late in the E. Phase

Late in the E. Phase the Bombay  1T2  1-2/15 air unit based at Nicosia (20A:3414), on Cyprus, flew a non-phasing air transfer air mission to Alexandria, in Egypt.  This turn it is Black U-1.

Axis Near East Command

• On the Jul II 41 Axis turn the Vichy French Levant surrendered to the invading Allies, per the Allied player’s Variable Levant Surrender Table dice roll, done at step 13 of the Axis I. Phase.  At the start of the Aug II 41 Axis turn all cities in the Levant were finally Allied-owned; and there were no remaining Axis forces in the Levant or in the Near East.  And so at step 12 of the Aug II 41 Axis I. Phase, all land hexes in Syria and Lebanon were declared Allied owned.
• The Iranians surrendered on the previous Aug II 41 Axis I. Phase. There are still neutral pro-Axis hexes and airbases in Iran, but they are too far from friendly Axis bases to be of any use to the Axis war effort.
• This Axis turn, At step 2 of the I. Phase, the Axis player did the Fawzi al Qawukji action die roll, per WW Optional Rule 39E4, and came up with a 5:  “Fawzi is under the control of the Axis player for the player turn.”

In Armistice Syria [end of turn]:

21A:4621 [stony desert hex]:

Guerrilla unit Fawzi (Bandit) [guerrilla-capable inf II bandit unit, in guerrilla mode; began turn at 21A:4621, in Iraq; moved to here]

In pro-Allied neutral Iraq [end of turn]:

• In the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario the pro-Axis Iraqi coup automatically occurs in the Apr I 41 Axis I. Phase.
• The Iraqi coup collapsed at step 4 of the I. Phase of the May II 41 Axis turn, when the Allied player rolled the dice checking for an Iraqi Coup Collapse, using the Variable Iraqi Coup Collapse Table, per WW Rule 38J5. The Iraqi army surrendered and all forces were then removed from the maps. All Iraqi hexes then became Allied-owned, except Mosul, which at that time contained a Ger LW air unit. This Ger LW air unit subsequently evacuated Iraq later in the May II 41 Axis turn. On the following Jun I 41 Allied turn a Br ground unit gained control of the Mosul hex, and thus the Allies had complete control of all hexes in newly pro-Allied Iraq.

21A:4519 [stony desert hex]:

Guerrilla unit Fawzi (Bandit) [dummy guerrilla-capable unit, in guerrilla mode; began turn at 21A:5020; moved to here]

Turn Activity

At step 2 of the I. Phase the Axis player does the Fawzi al Qawukji action die roll, per WW Optional Rule 39E4, and comes up with a 5:  “Fawzi is under the control of the Axis player for the player turn.”  In order to better assure its short-term survival, being that it is stalked by Allied ground units, the Axis player elects to keep Fawzi in its guerrilla mode, so that it can then retreat before combat.

At step 11 of the I. Phase the Allied forces at Tobruch are still isolated and most all the ground units there are at U-4 supply status, except the Br 2-8 Inf X 14, which now becomes black U-2, and the 3-8 Mtn X Karp (Pol), which becomes Black U-1. The Br Hurri 1 F type air unit now becomes Black U-3, as does the Br 3-8 Inf X 22 G. But all forces in the Tobruch hex are in special general supply due to the gsp’s available there at the supply determination step of the I. Phase.  At Malta, 4 of the 5 ground unit REs are in special general supply by virtue of the 4 gsp’s at the Valletta hex.  The two Br 0-1-8 hv AA IIs (AA = 2) are certainly in special general supply.  But in far away Iran, at Ganaweh (22A:4802), on the east coast of the Persian Gulf, the Ind 1-8 Inf X 17 unit becomes Black U-1 this turn, having moved beyond its overland supply line in its long march to gain Allied control of remote Iranian cities still considered to be Axis controlled.

At step 14 of the I. Phase the Axis player receives no reinforcements or production this turn.  He does no ground unit Replacement Point (RP) builds, but he expends two It ARPs and one Ger ARP to do three Axis air unit repairs, and removes one Ger LW and two Italian air units from the Aborted Air Units Box of his Med/NA Command Replacement Pool.  See the text above or the pictures below for these turn ARP repairs of aborted Axis air units.

At step 16 of the I. Phase the Allied player converts the single step of attack supply at Tobruch into 12 new gsp’s, per WW Rule 12C4b.

At step 22 of the I. Phase the Allied player sends the two A-22  3A3  2-1/19 (one Br & one SAAF) air units based at 19A:1319 on the Harassment air mission to the Egyptian target hex at 19A:0821. At the end of step 22 the two A type air units rebase at 19A:1319, having delivered their total of 4 tac factors to the 0821 target hex, good for two harassment marker hits.

At step 24 of the I. Phase the Allied player removes from the map the 12 old gsp’s at Tobruch that were generated there on the earlier Sep I 41 Axis phase from a step of attack supply then at the hex.

The first thing the Axis player does in the M. Phase is send an air op to the Valletta hex (18A:0407), at Malta.  It is escorted by the G 50  3F3  0/6 air unit based at 18A:0403, at Sicily.  The MC 200  3F4  1/8 air unit, also beginning the turn at 18A:0403, flies a fighter on a bombing air mission.  The SM 79-1  2B3  1-5/22 air unit based at Licata (18A:0102), in Sicily, also flies in the air op to the Valletta target hex.  The Br Hurri 2  5F5  1/9 air unit based at Valletta flies the Intercept air mission at the Valletta target hex and engages the G 50 F type air unit in air combat, and aborts it; the G 50 air unit rolls a (-).  When the Axis player sees the Hurri 2 air unit is flying the Intercept air mission, the MC 200 F type air unit flying the bombing air mission jettisons its bomb load, but remains with the small air mission group.  After the fighter air combat the Allied player rolls for his flack shot against the SM 79-1 B type air unit on a Malta Status strat bombing air mission, using the 3 column of the the Antiaircraft Fire Table, and comes up with a no effect.  But when the Axis player rolls on the Bombing table, using the 5 column, he gets a Hit, which brings the Malta Status back up to 12, the maximum Status # with an adjusted dice roll column on the Naval Table.

After this, the Axis player proceeds with the ground movement portion of the M. Phase, in Libya and western Egypt.  Interestingly, he declines to get involved with the small but tricky Allied stack at 19A:0920, but may feel like it’d be too much to bear if he went after it with both his panzer XXs and the Allied units managed to retreat before combat via the retreating abilities of the 0-8 Marine Cmdo II ME, leaving the mighty Afrika Korps high and dry.

But what he does do is continue the westward movement of his two Italian cons Xs, moving them both along the coastal road west of Ain el Gazala.  In a somewhat dramatic reversal of apparent earlier plans, the Ger 0-8 Cons III Afr and the It 2-3-8 Art III 16 C, both beginning the turn at  Porto Bardiya, quit their just started temporary airfield building project there and instead regular move 8 hexes westwards, ending their movement 3 hexes SW of Tobruch, evidently poised to access the coast road on the Oct I 41 Axis turn.  However, the main Axis mobile concentration, consisting of the two panzer XXs and associated minor mobile units, still lingers in far eastern Libya, at 19A:0219-0319, south of Porto Bardiya and right at the Egyptian borderline.  A short twisted “rat tail” of Axis units connects this forward Axis spearhead with the main mass of Axis forces besieging Tobruch and to the vital supply line road stretching all the way back to Tripoli.

Early in the E. Phase the Axis player initiates a big Axis air op, with Tobruch as the target hex.  Its object is to eliminate the Br Hurri 1 air unit based at Tobruch and inflict damage hits at the Tobruch airfields.  It bears some of the earmarks of a success, as the Hurri 1 air unit is aborted in air combat and three damage hits are inflicted on the 4-cap total of the Tobruch airfields, and there are no Axis air unit casualties.

Then an Axis flight group is flown at night to strat bomb Matruh’s port capacity, using the two It Br 30M NB type air units, based at Derna (18A:4116).  One of the It NB type air units is Returned by Matruh’s 2 factor flack shot; the other evades the minor port’s flack fire but rolls a Miss on the Bombing Table, taking into account the -1 modifier when rolling on the Bombing Table at night.  And so they both rebase at Derna.

These just mentioned Axis E. Phase air ops result in a major reshuffle of Axis air units in both Libya and at Sicily, both in the air op rebasing and in a subsequent final rebasing shuffle in order to maintain airbase capacity limits and to be better prepared for the next turn.  See the text above or the pictures below for these rebasing details.  The end result of the Axis air unit EOT dispositions  implies a new Axis game strategy in both the Western Desert and at Sicily that the Allied player must take into account on his upcoming Oct I 41 turn.

Commentary

Things are coming to a head in the Western Desert.  No one can stop it.  The Axis side, in particular, feels that time is running out for his long hot summer vacation there, taking into account the continual strengthening of the British 8th Army in the Egyptian Western Desert and the prolonged deadlock at Tobruch, which apparently implies Allied success.  Already he prudently clears out his construction assets from the Tobruch zone, and does not pretend any more to construct airfields east of the besieged fortress in order to better plunge deep into Egypt and clash against the Allied armored desert shield there.  But at the same time he has cleared his best air assets out of Sicily and at the important Sirte airfield, concentrating them instead in the Cyrenaica.  A blind man might see what Rommel is preparing; but he must do it very soon, or else be preempted.

 

End of Turn dispositions

Malta [{beginning of turn}/end of turn]:

• Malta Status: 11, end of turn [at turn’s start 12, – 1 repair this turn, at step 19 of the I. Phase = 11]
• Malta Repair Rate: beginning on the Jul I 41 turn, 2 repair points each I turn and 1 repair point each II turn, per the WitD Allied OB booklet.
• At the start of the Allied turn there were 4 gsp’s present in the Valletta hex. However, there are 5 REs of ground units on Malta, so the Allied player designates the 0-4 Cons X MC as the 1 RE unit that is definitely Red U-2, and makes the rest of the ground units at Malta technically U-2, but in special general supply by tracing to the available gsp’s. The Br Hurri 2 F type air unit based at Valletta is in “special air unit supply” per WW Rule 24I3-Allied Malta Special Air Unit Supply.   Valletta’s intrinsic flack is not affected by supply, as in the EA game reports for the WW 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario we are not using WW Optional Rule 12E4-Intrinsic AA and General Supply Effects.
• At step 14 of the I. Phase the Allied player spends the 2 ARPs stored at the Valletta hex to rebuild the Br Hurri 2  5F5  1/9 air unit, removing it from the Eliminated Air Units Box of the Malta Command Replacement Pool and placing it at the 3-cap permanent airfield in the Valletta hex.

Valletta (18A:0407) [rough terrain point city major port hex, w/ a strong natural harbor]:
3-cap permanent airfield; one hit of damage

• Valletta hex flack factor: 7 (3 intrinsic, + a total of 4 for the two Br 0-1-8 hv AA II units now in special general supply)

3-6* Inf X 1 M [technically Red U-2]
3-6* Inf X 3 M [technically Red U-2]
0-1-8 Hv AA II  AA=2  10 [technically Red U-2]
0-1-8 Hv AA II  AA=2  4 [technically Red U-2]
0-4 Cons X MC [definitely Red U-2]
Hurri 2  5F5  1/9 [operative; ARP turn rebuild, expending 2 ARPs; at step 14 of the I. Phase it was placed at the Valletta airfield; never moved]
4 gsp’s [generated this turn at Alexandria at step 16 of the I. Phase; sea transported to here in an E Med NTP in the naval movement step of the M. Phase; this cargo naval group sailed after the W Med NTP carrying the 4 gsp’s voyaging from Gibraltar to Malta was sunk by Cent Med Axis anti-shipping forces, per the Shipping Results Table die roll]
{two ARPs [began the turn at the Valletta hex; expended at step 14 of the I. Phase to rebuild the Hurri 2 F type air unit in the Eliminated Air Units Box of the Malta Command Replacement Pool]}
{4 gsp’s [sea transported from Gibraltar in the naval movement step of the Sep I 41 Allied M. Phase, in a W Med NTP; removed from the maps at step 24 of the current Allied I. Phase]}
18A:0307 [rough terrain hex, NW of Valletta]:
2-6* Inf X 2 M [began turn at the adjacent Valletta hex (18A:0407); technically Red U-2; moved to here]

In Libya [{beginning of the turn}/end of turn]:

Tobruch (18A:4817) [clear terrain fortress point city standard port road junction hex, w/ a strong natural harbor]:
Improved fortress; construction of the improved fortress was completed in the May II 41 Allied I. Phase.

• Per the WW Airbase Summary, improved fortresses have a permanent airfield capacity of 1.

3-cap temporary airfield
{one hit of airfield damage}
0-1-4 Cons X 66 RPC (Col) [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4; spent 2 MPs in the hex repairing the hit of airfield damage]
3-8* Mtn X Karp (Pol) [began turn at Matruh (19A:1218), in Egypt; sea transported to Tobruch in the naval movement step of the M. Phase, in an E Med NTP]
7-8 Inf XX 50 Nth [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4]
0-1-8 Hv AA II  AA=2  51 [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4]
3-8 Inf X 22 G [began turn here; never moved; technically Black U-2]
2-8 Inf X 14 [began turn here; never moved; technically Black U-1]
3-8 Art X 13 [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4]
Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 [operative; began turn here; never moved; technically Black U-2]
12 gsp’s [generated at step 16 of the Sep I 41 Axis I. Phase from a step of attack supply present in the Tobruch hex; these provide special general supply this turn and in the following Sep II 41 Axis turn; they will be removed from the maps at step 24 of the Sep II 41 Axis I. Phase, after the step 11 supply determination step]
one step of attack supply [began the turn at Suez; in the naval movement step of the current M. Phase it was successfully sea transported to here in 3 E Med NTPs; this cargo naval group sailed after the 3 E Med NTPs carrying the step of attack supply from Alexandria to Tobruch was sunk by Cent Med Axis anti-shipping forces, per the Shipping Results Table die roll]

In Egypt [{beginning of the turn}/end of turn]:

19A:0818 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
6-4-6 Arm X 32 T [began turn here; never moved]
1-10 Recon II 1 DG [began turn here; never moved]
1-10 Recon II 6 (SA) [began turn here; never moved]
3-8 Art X 10 [began turn here; never moved]
5 pos flk unit  AA=1 [British; began turn here; never moved]
5 pos flk unit  AA=1 [British; began turn here; never moved]

19A:0819 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
6-4-6 Arm X 1 T [began turn here; never moved]
3-2-10 Arm X 7 [began turn here; never moved]
2-1-10* Lt Arm X 9 [began turn here; never moved]
1-10* Mot Inf X 3 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]
1-10* Mot SG X  AA=1  2 [began turn here, in the M. Phase it moved westwards along the Egyptian coast road,  capturing for the Allies in all the Egyptian coast road hexes previously owned by the Axis, up to and including 19A:0519 and Sidi Barrani (19A:0718), and then it double backed and returned to here; remained in the hex]
1-2-10* Mot SG X  AA=1  7 [began turn here; never moved]
one step of attack supply [began turn at 19A:1018; in the M. Phase it spent 2 SMPs moving along the road to 19A:0818 and then 3 SMPs moving off-road 1 hex to here, for a total of 5 SMPs expended]

19A:0918 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
3-cap temporary airfield [constructed this turn by the Aus 2-8 Eng X 1]
2-8* Inf X 150 [began turn at 19A:1320; supported breakdown of the 7-8* Inf XX 6; regular moved to here]
2-8 Eng X 1 (Aus) [began turn here; spent its 8 MPs in the hex constructing the new 3-cap temporary airfield]
Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 SAAF [inop.; ARP turn repair, expending 1 ARP; at step 14 of the current Allied I. Phase it was placed at Alexandria; air transferred to here in the M. Phase]
P-40C  5F5  1/13 [inop; began turn at 19A:1319; air transferred to here in the M. Phase]
Blen 4  3B3  1-2/23 [inop.; began turn at 19A:1418; air transferred to here in the M. Phase]

19A:0919 [clear terrain hex; containing the Tobruch-Matruh railway line completed in the M. Phase of this turn]:
railhead marker

• The Matruh-Tobruch railhead marker was advanced into this hex in the M. Phase, from 19A:1019, after the  cons X beginning the turn in hex 19A:0919 declared all its MPs expended in building the railway line there. Doing this also gives the 0-1-4 cons X the ability to voluntarily automatically advance into the adjacent not yet completed Tobruch-Matruh railway hex, per WW Rule 14A1. Per the WitD Allied OB booklet the Tobruch-Matruh railway construction may begin on the Aug II 41 Allied turn.

0-1-4 Cons X 43 RPC (Col) [began turn here; spent all its MPs in the hex completing there the construction of the Tobruch-Matruh railway line; after this construction MP expenditure it elected to remain in the hex and not voluntarily advance into the next not yet completed Tobruch-Matruh railway line hex to the west, which it could have done]
2-8* Inf X 151 [began turn at 19A:1320; supported breakdown of the 7-8* Inf XX 6; regular moved to here]
1-8 MG II 1 RNF [began turn at Matruh (19A:1218); regular moved to here]

19A:0920 [clear terrain hex]:
0-8 Marine Cmdo II ME [began turn here; never moved]
1-8 Art II 1 (Aus) [began turn at 19A:0919; moved south 1 hex to here]
1-8 AT II 65 [began turn at 19A:0918; regular moved to here]

19A:1018 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
7-8 Inf XX 6 (Aus) [began turn at 19A:1119; moved one hex to here]
{8 gsp’s [all generated in the Sep I 41 Allied I. Phase, 4 at Alexandria and 4 at Suez; removed from the maps at step 24 of the current Allied I. Phase]}

19A:1119 [clear terrain major rail line (Matruh to Tobruch railway) hex, SW of Matruh]:
7-8 Inf XX 2 (SA) [began turn at 19A:1018; moved one hex to here]

Matruh (19A:1218) [clear terrain point city/minor port road-major rail line junction coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
fort marker
2-8* Inf X 26 (Aus) [began turn at Tobruch; supported breakdown component of the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 9; technically Red U-4, but in special general supply via gsp’s; in the naval movement step of the M. Phase it was sea transported to Alexandria in an E Med NTP, where it disembarked; then it railed to Matruh]
0-1-8 Hv AA II  AA=2  68 [began turn here; never moved]
0-1-6 Cons X 61 RPC (Col) [began turn at 19A:1319; moved one hex to here]
one step of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]
P-40C  5F5  1/13 SAAF [operative; began turn here; never moved]
Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 (RAAF) [operative; began turn here; never moved]
Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 [inop.; began turn here; flew the CAP air mission to all-sea hex 19A:0717 in the naval movement step of the M. Phase; rebased at the very beginning of the ground movement step of the M. Phase]

19A:1319 [major rail line coast hex, SE of Matruh]:
3-cap temporary airfield
2-8* Inf X 20 (Aus) [began turn at Alexandria; supported breakdown component of the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 9; admin moved along the coast road to here]
2-8* Inf X 24 (Aus) [began turn at 190A:0919; supported breakdown component of the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 9; regular moved to here]
0-8 Hv AA II  AA=1  2 (Aus) [began turn at El Alamein (19A:2119); moved along the road to here]
A-22  3A3  2-1/19 [inop.; began the turn here inoperative; flew the Harassment air mission on the previous Sep I 41 Axis turn]
A-22  3A3  2-1/19 SAAF [inop.; began the turn here inoperative; flew the Harassment air mission on the previous Sep I 41 Axis turn]
Blen 4  3B3  1-2/23 [inop.; began turn at El Alamein (19A:2119); air transferred to here in the M. Phase]

19A:1418 [clear terrain major rail coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
0-8 Lt AA II  AA=1  57 [began turn here; never moved]
Well 1C  3NB4  1-6/28 [inop.; began turn here; late in the M. Phase it flew a night Port strat Bombing air mission to the Derna hex, in Libya, Miss; rebased here]
Well 1C  3NB4  1-6/28 [inop.; began turn here; late in the M. Phase it flew a night Port strat Bombing air mission to the Derna hex, in Libya, Miss; rebased here]

19A:1419 [clear terrain hex]:
8 Inf XX HQ 2 (NZ) [began turn at 19A:1219; regular moved 2 hexes to here]
2-8 Inf X 6 (NZ) [began turn at 19A:1219; regular moved 2 hexes to here]
2-8 Inf X 4 (NZ) [began turn at 19A:1219; regular moved 2 hexes to here]

19A:1520 [clear terrain hex]:
2-8* Inf X 7 (Ind) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 4 (Ind); never moved]
2-8* Inf X 6 (SA) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 1 (SA); never moved]

19A:1521 [clear terrain hex]:
2-8* Inf X 5 (Ind) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 4 (Ind); never moved]
2-8* Inf X 3 (SA) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 1 (SA); never moved]

19A:1621 [clear terrain hex, adjacent to Qattara Depression]:
2-8* Inf X 11 (Ind) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 4 (Ind); never moved]
2-8* Inf X 1 (SA) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 1 (SA); never moved]

El Alamein (19A:2119/20A:5033) [clear terrain point city major rail coast road hex]:
3-cap temporary airfield
fort marker [completed in the Jul II 41 Allied I. Phase]

Alexandria (20A:4930/19A:2416) [full city hex/major port major rail line coast hex]:
Supply Terminal marker
3-cap permanent airfield
2-8* Inf X 161 [began turn at 19A:0919; supported breakdown of the Br 7-8* Inf XX 6; moved to Matruh and then railed to Alexandria]
0-8 Lt AA II  AA=1  27 [British; began turn here; never moved]
Hurri 1  5NF5  1/8 [operative; began turn here; never moved]
one step of attack supply [began turn at Suez (18A:3718); railed to here]
{one step of attack supply [began turn here; in the naval movement step of the M. Phase it was sea transported using 3 E Med NTPs, voyaging to Tobruch, but was sunk per the Shipping Results Table die roll due to Axis anti-shipping]}
{4 gsp’s [generated at Alexandria this turn at step 16 of the I. Phase; successfully sea transported to Malta in an E Med NTP in the naval movement step off the M. Phase; this was done after the initial naval group carrying the 4 gsp’s generated at Suez was sunk in the Cent Med sea zone by Axis anti-shipping forces]}

Cairo (19A:3219) [full city hex transportation line junction hex, NW of the Cairo partial city hex]:
0-1-6 RR Eng X MEF (Emp) [began turn here; Egypt Garrison eng/cons unit; never moved]

• This unit can’t move from here w/out violating the Egypt Garrison eng/cons unit provision, unless another 1 RE eng/cons unit takes its place.

Cairo (19A:3320) [clear terrain partial city hex, SE of the Cairo full city hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Ismailia (20A:3516) [sand reference city/standard port/Suez Canal transportation line junction hex]:
1-8 Cav X 6 [began turn at Haifa (20A:4710), in Palestine; admin moved to here]
Glad  3F3  0/8 [operative; began turn here; never moved]

Suez (19A:3718) [clear terrain reference city/major port transportation line nexus coast hex]:
Supply Terminal marker
1-8 Cav X 5 [began turn at Ismailia (20A:3516) in Egypt; moved to here]
{one step of attack supply [began turn here; sea transported to Tobruch using 3 E Med NTPs in the naval movement step of the M. Phase; this cargo naval group sailed after the 3 E Med NTPs carrying the step of attack supply from Alexandria voyaging to Tobruch was sunk by Cent Med Axis anti-shipping forces, per the Shipping Results Table die roll after rolling a contact on the Naval Table dice roll]
{4 gsp’s [generated at Suez this turn at step 16 of the I. Phase; sunk by the Cent Med Axis anti-shipping dice rolls when attempting to be sea transported to Malta in an E Med NTP in the naval movement step of the M. Phase]}

In Palestine [end of turn]:

• Per WW Game Play Chart 5–Allied Garrisons, the Palestine garrison requirement is 3 REs of Garrison-category units. The Allied garrisons are determined at step 17 of the Allied I. Phase. However, per WW Rule 37E4, Forming units in the ME Replacement Pool count at their regular RE size for the Palestine Garrison requirement, as do also ME Replacement Pool units, but they count at 1/3 their regular RE size. In addition to the 1.5 Garrison-capable REs present on-map in Palestine, the Allied player is counting some of the 3.5 Garrison-capable REs in the Forming Box of the Middle East Command Replacement Pool. See below, in the Middle East Replacement Pool section, for further details.

Haifa (20A:4710) [clear terrain dot city/major port transportation line junction coast hex]:

• Railhead marker [per WW Rule 41B1a-Western Desert Campaign Starting Conditions, “the transportation line from Haifa to Tripoli (20A:4005) is a road, not a railroad.” This stipulation is used in the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario.

3-8* Inf X 1 FL (FF) [began turn at Beyrouth (20A:4207), in Lebanon; admin moved along the coast road to here]

Tel Aviv (19A:4308 [clear terrain dot city/minor port major rail line junction coast hex]:
2-8 Inf X 29 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]

Allied Units in Armistice Lebanon & Syria [end of turn]:

• Per the WW Game Play Chart 5–Allied Garrisons (Rule 37E), it appears the Allied player is fulfilling the garrison requirements for the Vichy French Levant, and has been since the beginning of the Allied invasion of the the Levant on the Jun I 41 Allied turn.

Beyrouth (20A:4207) [rough terrain dot city/standard port transportation line junction coast hex]:
2-8* Inf X 25 (Aus) [began turn at Alep (21A: 3231), in Syria; supported component of the 7-8 Inf XX 7 (Aus); admin moved to here along the transportation lines]

Tripoli (20A:4005) [rough terrain reference city/minor port transportation line coast hex]:

• Railhead marker [per WW Rule 41B1a-Western Desert Campaign Starting Conditions, “the transportation line from Haifa to Tripoli (20A:4005) is a road, not a railroad.” This stipulation is used in the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario.

2-8* Inf X 18 (Aus) [began turn here; supported component of the 7-8 Inf XX 7 (Aus); never moved]

Damas (20A:4505) [clear terrain dot city transportation line junction hex]:
vacant

Lattique (20A:3405) [clear terrain reference city/minor port road terminus coast hex]
2-8* Inf X 21 (Aus) [began turn here; supported component of the 7-8 Inf XX 7 (Aus); never moved]

Homs (20A:3902) [clear terrain reference city transportation line junction hex]:
hit marker on reference city airbase

Hama (20A:3702) [clear terrain reference city major rail line hex]:
hit marker on reference city airbase

Alep (21A:3231) [clear terrain partial city transportation line junction hex]:
vacant at the end of the M. Phase

On Cyprus [end of turn]:

Limassol (20A:3615) [clear terrain point city/standard port coast road hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip

Famagusta (20A:3411) [clear terrain point city/standard port coast road hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip

Nicosia (20A:3414) [clear terrain reference city road hex]:
1-8 MG II 2 Ch [began turn at Suez (19A:3718), in Egypt; late in the M. Phase the Bombay T type air unit based at Alexandria staged to Suez and air transported the unit to Nicosa, at Cyprus on a 1-way air transport air mission; it also air transported the 1-8 Inf II 11 (CS) to here]
1-8 Inf II 11 (CS) [began turn at Rutbah (21A:5023), in Iraq; admin moved westwards 16 hexes along the road to secondary rail line hex 20A:5006, in Trans-Jordan; from there it railed to Suez, in Egypt; late in the M. Phase the Bombay T type air unit based at Alexandria staged to Suez and air transported the unit to Nicosa, at Cyprus on a 1-way air transport air mission; it also air transported the 1-8 MG II 2 Ch to here]
Bombay  1T2  1-2/15 [inop.; began turn at Alexandria, in Egypt; late in the M. Phase it staged to Suez and air transported the 1-8 MG II 2 Ch and the 1-8 Inf II 11 (CS) from there to here; rebased here]

Non Phasing Axis Air Activity in the Allied Exploitation Phase:

In the E. Phase the Ger LW He 111H4  4B4  2-7/22 air unit beginning turn at Derna (18A:4116) does a non-phasing air transfer to Benghazi (18A:3121).

Middle East (ME) Command Replacement Pool [{beginning of the turn}/end of turn]:

3-8 Inf X 5 (NZ) [moved to here from Balkan Command Replacement Pool]
3-2-10 Arm X 4 [in the WW 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario this unit is at-start in the ME Replacement Pool, per F. Watson’s ER-II Europa battle scenario, published in TEM#71]
3-2-10 Arm X 1 [moved to here from Balkan Command Replacement Pool; this is the original pre-conversion unit of the one sent to Greece]

Aborted Air Units Box:

{Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 SAAF [in the Sep I 41 Axis E. Phase the air unit was aborted in air combat over the Tobruch target hex; the Allied player expended an ARP to repair it in the current I. Phase, and placed it at Alexandria]}

Eliminated Air Units Box:

Blen 4  3B3  1-2/23 [in the Jun I 41 Allied C. Phase it participated in the first Allied attack in the Vichy French Levant, flying the GS air mission at 20A:4607; it was Killed in air combat there by the bypassing Vichy Fr D 520 F type air unit, flying the Interception air mission to the target hex]

Forming Box:
3-8* Mtn X 1 (Gk) [counted as part of the Palestine Garrison]
0-1-8 Inf II Gd (Yugo) [counted as part of the Palestine Garrison]
2-8* Inf X 2 FL (FF) [placed here at step 14 of the Aug I 41 Allied I. Phase after the Allied conquest of the Levant, per the WitD Allied French Conditional Reinforcements: Forces from the Levant, in the WitD Allied OB booklet, p. 6; this unit will be Full on the Apr II 42 Allied turn; this turn it counted as part of the Levant Garrison]
1-2-6 Inf X 3FL (FF) [placed here at step 14 of the Aug I 41 Allied I. Phase after the Allied conquest of the Levant, per the WitD Allied French Conditional Reinforcements: Forces from the Levant, in the WitD Allied OB booklet, p. 6; this unit will be Full on the May II 42 Allied turn]

The Allied Near East (NE) Command on the Sep II 41 Allied turn:

• Iraqi coup collapse occurred in the May II 41 Axis I. Phase, per the dice roll done then using the Variable Iraqi Coup Collapse Table. At that time all Iraqi forces/production were removed from the map and the Iraq Replacement Pool. By the end of the I. Phase all Iraqi territory was Allied owned; except in our case the Mosul hex, which at the time contained the Axis Conditional Reinforcement Ger LW Mxd A type air unit. Seeing that the Iraqi coup had indeed collapsed, the Axis Conditional Reinforcement promptly air transferred out of the Mosul hex later in the May II 41 Axis turn, and Mosul was captured by the Allies in the following Jun I 41 Allied turn.
• The current Allied Iraqi railnet-cap is 3 1/2.
• At step 14 of the current Allied I. Phase the Allied player transferred back to the  Middle East Command the 10 SMPs that had been transferred to the Near East Command on the Aug I 41 Allied turn, per WW Rule 12H2b. They cannot be used in the ME Command until the following Oct I 41 Allied turn.
• At step 4 the Aug II 41 Axis I. Phase Iran surrendered to the Allies, per the Iranian Surrender Table. All Iranian forces surrendered to the Allies and were removed from the map.

In pro-Allied Iraq [end of turn]:

• Per the WW Game Play Chart 5–Allied Garrisons (Rule 37E), it appears the Allied player is fulfilling the garrison requirements this turn, for Iraq. This would be per the horizontal line reading: “EJIS [Jul II 41] – Sep I 41”. For a more detailed discussion of the Iraq garrison, see the Jul I 41 Allied game report.

21A:4721 [ravines hex]:

1-10 Mot Cav III AL (T-J) [Arab Legion; began turn here; never moved]

• This is a provisional new unit introduced in the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario on the May I 41 Allied turn. For more details, see that posted EA game report.

21A:4921 [stony desert pump station road hex]:
2-8 Inf X 10 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]

Rutbah (21A:5023) [stony desert point city road junction hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip
2-8 Inf X 9 (Ind) [began turn at 21A:4719; moved to here]
Audax  1A1  1/8 [operative; began turn here; never moved]

Ramadi (22A:2830) [clear terrain reference city road hex]:
1-8 Inf X 20 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]

Habbaniya (22A:2828) [clear terrain point city road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
0-1-4 Static II 1 As (Col) [began turn here; never moved]

Baghdad 22A:2825 [clear terrain partial city transportation line junction hex]:
one hit marker on the airbase
8* Inf XX HQ 10 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]
2-8 Inf X 25 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]

Shaibah (22A:4314) [clear terrain secondary rail line hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
0-1-4 Static II 2 As (Col) [began turn here; never moved]

Basra (22A:4313) [clear terrain dot city/major port, w/ a major river hexside]:
Allied Supply Terminal marker
8 Inf XX HQ 5 (Ind) [began turn at 22A:4021; admin moved along the transportation line to here]
2-8 Inf X 19 (Ind) [began turn here; formerly an unsupported component of the 6-8* Inf XX 8 (Ind); never moved]
1-pt river flotilla  AA=1  PAIC (RN) [began turn here; never moved]
2 steps of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]

In Iran [end of turn]:

Kangavar 32:2023 [clear terrain point city road hex]:
vacant by the end of the M. Phase

32:1419 [clear terrain road hex]:
2-8 Inf X 24 (Ind) [began turn at Kangavar (32:2023); regular moved northeastwards along the road to here; captured the dot city hex of Hamadan (32:1922) along the way]

Burujird (32:2420) [clear terrain reference city road hex]:
2-8 Inf X 21 (Ind) [began turn at Kangavar (32:2023); regular moved to here, capturing point city hex Nehavar (32:2222) and point city hex Malayer (32:2220), along the way

32:1505 [clear terrain secondary rail line hex, SW of Samnan]:
2-1-10* Lt Arm X 252 (Ind) [began turn at 22A:2217; regular moved northeastwards along the major rail line to 32:1612, SW of Tehran, capturing dot city hex Qum (32:2013) along the way; exploited eastwards along the transportation lines to 32:1505, capturing partial city hex Tehran (32:1512) along the way]

Ahwaz (22A:3810) [clear terrain reference city major rail line-road junction hex]:
8* Inf XX HQ 8 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]

Ganaweh (22A:4802) [clear terrain point city/minor port coast hex]:
1-8 Inf X 17 (Ind) [began turn at 22A:4205; regular moved SE to here, capturing point city hex Behbehan (22A:4304) and point city hex Gach Saran (22A:4402) along the way]

Bandar Shahpur (22A:4407) [clear terrain point city/standard port major rail line terminus island hex, w/ a causeway to the mainland]:
2-8 Inf X 18 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]

Turn Activity

The weather is clear this turn in the E, D, and C weather zones. Part of the C weather zone is visible in northern Iran on map 32, as is also part of D weather zone, but on map 32 both these weather zones are in the Soviet occupation zone and therefore are not a factor in the new Scenario. On the WD map group (eg., strictly speaking, maps 18A & 19A, but in our case including map 20A) the rough terrain notch of the Cyrenaica is in weather zone E, as is part of the coastal littoral of Palestine, and all of the coastline of Lebanon and NW Syria. In addition to these North African and West Asian mainland areas that are indicated on the WD map group, a number of Mediterranean islands are also in weather zone E, namely: Cyprus, Crete, the Dodecanese, Sicily, and Malta. On the Sep II 41 game turn the weather is automatically clear in weather zones E and F (eg., the F weather zone prevailing in the Western Desert and Mesopotamian regions).

At step 11 of the I. Phase the Allied ground and air units at the isolated Tobruch hex that began the turn at technically Red or Black U-4 essentially remain at this U-4 status, as per WW Optional Rule 12E, U-4 is in effect the most severe supply status for a unit. All ground units and the two air units beginning the turn at Tobruch are in special general supply at step 11 of the I. Phase due to the 12 gsp’s in the hex. Twelve of these gsp’s were generated from a step of attack supply present in the hex on the Sep I 41 Axis I. Phase. They will be removed from the maps at step 24 of the Sep II 41 Axis I. Phase, after the supply determination step for that turn. At Malta, at the supply determination step of the I. Phase, 4 of the 5 REs of Allied ground units are declared technically Red U-2, but in special general supply via the 4 gsp’s which were sea transported to Valletta in the previous Sep I 41 Allied turn.  At step 11 of the I. Phase the Br 0-4 Cons X MC is designated as being definitely Red U-2.

At step 14 of the I. Phase the Allied player spends one ARP to repair the SAAF Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 air unit in the Aborted Air Units Box of the Middle East Replacement Pool and places it at Alexandria.  He does no other RP or ARP builds.  Per the WitD Allied OB booklet, there are no Allied reinforcements this turn.

At step 16 of the I. Phase the Allied player generates 4 new gsp’s at both the Suez and Alexandria Allied Standard Supply terminals.

At step 22 of the I. Phase the Axis player flies the Ger LW Ju 87B  2D3  4-1/9 air unit based at 18A:4718, SW of Tobruch, on the Harassment air mission to hex 18A:5020. From the same 3-cap temporary airfield adjacent to Tobruch the Axis player assigns to the Naval Patrol air mission the It SM 79-2  2B3  3-2/V/20 air unit. The Ger LW Ju 87B D type air unit based at the 3-cap temporary airfield at 18A:4818, S of Tobruch, is also assigned to the Naval Patrol air mission.

At step 24 of the I. Phase the Allied player removes from the maps the 8 gsp’s at 19A:1018, and the 4 gsp’s at the Valletta hex, on Malta.  All these old gsp’s were generated on the previous Sep I 41 Allied I. Phase.

In the naval movement step of the M. Phase the Allied player does a series of naval transport activities in the East and Central Mediterranean sea zones. This turn he will very likely be compelled to attempt to sea transport to Tobruch one of his turn reinforcement steps of attack supply. The subsequent naval actions done this turn are listed below in sequential order. Those that are numbered with # sign are indicated as such in the naval movement step action activities picture included below in the game report. This turn the Allied player has his full complement of 10 E Med NTPs available for his sea transport requirements.

The first naval transport of the Allied naval movement step are 4 fresh gsp’s generated this turn at off-map Gibraltar and embarked on the Allied player’s single available W Med NTP.  The naval group enters the west edge of map 18A at all-sea hex 0107. But then the Allied player rolls a Contact on the Naval Table, using the 9 column, and subsequently, per the Shipping Results Table, the 4 gsp’s and W Med NTP from Gibraltar are in effect automatically sunk and lost.

#1. On the WD map group the first naval movement the Allied player does is embark the 2-8* Inf X 26 (Aus) unit, beginning the turn at Tobruch (18A:4817), on an E Med NTP, which exits the harbor at night to all-sea hex 18A:4917. At this time the Allied player rolls on the 9 column of the Naval Table for Axis anti-shipping effects, but is lucky and rolls a no contact. After doing this, the cargo naval group continues moving eastwards at night in all-sea hexes just north of the North African coastline until it enters all-sea hex 19A:0917, which must be its first daylight hex of the voyage. At this point the Axis player declines to attempt a die roll on the Success Table for Naval Patrol contact.  And so the Allied naval group continues its voyage eastwards, and the E Med NTP carrying the Aus 2-8* inf X finally enters the Alexandria port hex, where it disembarks its cargo. Although the ground unit is technically Red U-4 this turn, it is in special general supply via the gsp’s present in the Tobruch hex in the I. Phase.

Right after this the Allied player flies the Br Hurri 1 F type air unit based at Matruh on the CAP air mission over the all-sea hex at 19A:0717, N of Sidi Barrani, likely preparing for one or more of the turn’s critical naval transport operations.

#2. Next the Allied player embarks the 3-8 Mtn X Karp (Pol) unit, beginning the turn at Matruh (19A:1218), in Egypt, in an E Med NTP and sends it westwards along the Egyptian coastline.  At Egyptian coast hex 19A:0918, it veers NW to all-sea hex 19A:0817, preparing to enter next all-sea hex 19A:0717, thereby avoiding the enemy-owned Sidi Barrani coastal hex, at 19A:0818.  When the cargo naval group enters all-sea hex 19A:0717, where the Br Hurri 1 F type air units is flying the CAP air mission, the Allied player pauses to see what the Axis player wants to do, as this is the last daylight hex of the voyage to Tobruch.  The next sea voyage hex would be to all-sea hex 19A:0617, the first hex of the final night leg of the voyage into the port of Tobruch.  But the Allied player does not want to attempt a Naval Patrol Contact die roll on the Success Table against this Allied convoy, and so the naval group continues its voyage.  It rolls a no contact result on the Naval Table upon entering the Cent Med sea zone at 18A:5016, still at night, and so the E Med NTP carrying the illustrious Polish 3-8 Mtn X Karp unit successfully makes it into the port of Tobruch.

#3.  After this, the step of attack supply beginning the turn at Alexandria is embarked on 3 E Med NTPs and sent westwards, moving along the Allied-held Egyptian coastline starting at coastal hex 19A:2018, NE of El Alamein.  At Egyptian coast hex 19A:0918, it too, veers NW to all-sea hex 19A:0817, just like the previous cargo naval group voyaging to Tobruch, thereby preparing to enter next all-sea hex 19A:0717, and thus avoiding the enemy-owned Sidi Barrani coastal hex, due south at 19A:0718.  The moment of truth appears to be when the naval group enters all-sea hex 19A:0717, but again the Axis player declines to attempt a Contact die roll for either of his two air units assigned to the Naval Patrol air mission, and so the big Allied naval group sails onwards, this time using night movement.  But spiteful disaster strikes anyway, when the naval group enters the Cent Med sea zone and the required dice roll on the Naval Table is done.  It comes up with a Contact result, which is good as a Sunk result for the cargo, even before the subsequent Shipping Results Table die roll, using the Supply/Resource Item column, as its results are in any event either an E (Eliminated) or H (Half Eliminated).  In our case here, the Shipping Results Table die roll was an E, and so the whole of this valuable convoy sinks beneath the sea waves at night, likely by the torpedo of an Axis submarine, or possibly an Italian torpedo boat.  However, I believe that in the event of an H (Half Eliminated) result, the Allied player would retain possession of one of his three used E Med NTPs, assuming that half of the E Med NTPs (eg., 2, in this case) are duly lost/sunk, along with the whole of the step of attack supply cargo, which require 3 surviving NTPs.  Somebody correct me if this line of reasoning is wrong.

#4.  Undaunted, the Allied player forthwith embarks one of the two steps of attack supply at Suez on 3 East Med NTPs and sails them northwards up the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean Sea.  Further into the voyage, the naval group uses night movement from all-sea hex 19A:2217 to coastal hex 19A:1818, inclusive.  It voyages in the daylight from 19A:1719 to 19A:0717, inclusive.  Once again, at all-sea hex 19A:0717, N of Sidi Barrani, the last daylight hex of the voyage to Tobruch, the Axis player declines to attempt a Naval Patrol Contact die roll, using the Success Table.  In pure theory the big aero-naval attack at the said target hex might work, but it would certainly be bloody, with a high attrition rate and certainly some good Axis air units being lost.  And in any event these Axis air units will likely be wanted again for the GS air missions needed in any big Tobruch ground attack follow-up, even when counting on the possible halved ground unit defense factor effects of the U-4 supply status, and pending any possible successful gsp deliveries by sea or air, and the actual results of the elimination due to lack of supply die rolls, not to mention the outcome of the ground combat die roll, itself.  And so this second attempt to get a step of attack supply to Tobruch continues its westwards voyage.  When it enters the Cent Med sea zone it successfully avoids contact with Axis anti-shipping forces and finally enters the safety of the Tobruch improved fortress harbor.

#5.  The Allied player hasn’t forgotten that Malta is still without any gsp’s, and is quite worried about the possibility of a possible all-out Axis paradrop assault on the island the next Axis turn, and so he embarks the 4 fresh gsp’s at Suez on his 9th available E Med NTP and directs it to Malta.  After entering the Mediterranean, the E Med NTP carrying the 4 gsp’s from Suez first sails NW, towards Crete, in order to get as far away as possible from the two Axis air units assigned to the Naval Patrol air mission that are based at two airfields surrounding Tobruch.  The Allied cargo naval group enters the Cent Med sea zone all-sea hex 18A:5005, just south of Crete, which is also the first hex using night movement.  But then Death comes and sways the Naval Table dice roll to indicate a Contact with the Axis anti-shipping forces, which means an automatic Sinking, per the Shipping Results Table; and so this convoy, too, sinks, no doubt with fire and smoke in the darkness.

#6.  Appalled by the recent naval transport losses, but nevertheless sticking to his original plan, the Allied player embarks his remaining 4 fresh gsp’s at Alexandria on his last available E Med NTP, and sails this naval group towards Malta, using essentially the same sea route and chronology schedule as the previous stricken Malta convoy.  This time it successfully evades the Axis anti-shipping forces upon entering the Cent Med sea zone at night at all-sea hex 18A:5005, S of Crete.  Using night movement it proceeds westwards through 9 more all-sea hexes to 18A:4104, which is S of the Greek isle of Andikthyera (18A:4103).  But when the cargo naval group enters the next all-sea hex at 18A:4003, in the daylight, the Axis player tells the Allied player to pause his naval movement there, as he wishes to roll for Naval Patrol Contact on the Success Table, using the It SM 79-2  2B3  3-4/V/20 air unit, based at 18A:4718, SW of Tobruch, 18 hexes away.  For the Success Table die roll for the Naval Patrol contact, there’s a +3 modifier for the calm seas, off-set by a -3 for the range, and in the end the Axis player rolls a 3: No Contact, and so the E Med NTP carrying the 4 gsp’s successfully makes it to the port of Valletta, at Malta, where it disembarks it supply cargo.

In the naval movement step of his Movement Phase the Allied player has lost 4 E Med NTPs and his one available W Med NTP.  On his next turn, on Oct I 41, he can replace the lost W Med NTP and two of the four sunk E Med NTPs, leaving him with a net of 8 E Med NTPs for his Oct I & Oct II 41 player turns.

Late in the M. Phase the Allied player sends the two Well 12C 3NB4 1-6/28 air units based at 19A:1418 on a night Port strat Bombing air mission to the Derna hex (18A:4116), in Libya. Both NB type air units make it past Derna’s 2 factor flack shot, but miss when they each roll on the 5 column of the Bombing Table, with a -1 for bombing at night. He also does a series of air unit transfers in Egypt late in the M. Phase, primarily as a result of building the new 3-cap temporary air field at 19A:0918, requiring a repositioning of the air units in the zone.  The Allied player wonders if he should attempt to air transfer a Hurri 1 F type air unit to besieged Tobruch, perhaps using a risky night air unit transfer technique to avoid intercepts or patrol attacks, but decides against it.

At the beginning of the Allied turn the Allies had the following RP inventory in his ME Command: 11.5 Br inf, 2.5 Br arm, 1.5 Aus inf, 2.5 NZ inf, 3 Ind inf, and 6 Allied ARPs, all of which were stored in Alexandria.  One ARP was expended to repair the SAAF Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 air unit.  The two ARPs stored at the Valletta hex were expended to rebuild the Hurri 2  5F5  1/9 air unit.  The Allied Middle East Command ARP inventory amounted to 5 ARPs at the end of the turn, stored at Alexandria.

Commentary

In an earlier draft version of the Allied EOT disposition for this turn, the Egyptian desert shield front line was backed eastwards a hexrow, to 19A:0919-0920.  This was done in part because of the Axis player’s advance of both his pz XXs to the Libyan-Egyptian border and also due to the additional 2 tac factors of Harassment that appear to be required to protect the final front line position from the Axis mobile units outflanking it from the south.  The Allied player was also a little embarrassed by the contorted supply line “rat tail” extending eastwards along the coast road from the back of the desert shield, towards Matruh and beyond.  But in the end he convinced himself that the contorted rat tail was only a minor element in a momentary EOT frozen snap shot of the over-all Allied front-line position, perhaps essentially more accurately symbolized by the final stout forward position at 19A:1818-1819.  After all, the Axis has one now, too, in between Tobruch and his forward position at the Libyan-Egyptian border.  We shall see if this turn “snap shot” of a “stout final position” does not in fact expose a blunder after its publication, for the Axis player to exploit.

In the meantime the Allied player appears to have maximized his defensive position at Tobruch, with a total of 20 defense factors present in the hex.  All the above presents a short-term dilemma to the Axis player, it seems to me right now.  Should he go ahead and strike at Tobruch, at a raunchy 3 to 2, or hopefully a better 2 to 1 combat die roll?  Should he complete the 3-cap temporary airfield at Porto Bardiya and instigate a major, and certainly bloody aero-naval conflict at likely all-sea hex 19A:0717, north of Sidi Barrani, and hopefully sink the Allied cargo naval groups attempting to bring in steps of attack supply to Tobruch, and then attack the improved fortress later on?  Or, with the wargamer’s cunning advantage of historical foresight, should he sooner pull away from the siege of Tobruch to the west, in order to protect the Axis army better from the Allied Crusader offensive, which in effect symbolizes the maximum strength point of the 8th Army in the Western Desert just prior to the Dec II 41 game turn fact of Pearl Harbor and the Japanese entry into the world war, when big Allied withdrawals from the MTO will be demanded by this new reality, in order to  protect vital Allied off-map interests in the Far East and the Pacific?

Here is what I can tell you about the German 1941 Special Operations Forces strategy, as manifested by WW Rule 33D and the German 1941 Special Operations Forces Conditional Reinforcements, found at p. 4 of the WitD Axis OB booklet.  Up until the previous Axis Sep I 41 turn, the Axis player had a special operation planned, using everything listed in the said German Conditional Reinforcement OB, with the Oct I 41 Axis turn as the planned activation date and Malta island hex 18A:0307, NW of Valletta, as the single target hex.  He planned it for the Oct I rather than the Sep II turn in order to maybe fool the Allied player, who might think that the Axis was wanting to execute a big para-drop operation in the MTO as soon as possible, which in this particular game would be on the Sep II 41 Axis turn.  But on the Sep I 41 Axis turn, at step 8 of the I. Phase, this German LW special para op was cancelled and a new sp op was planned, 5 turns in advance, to occur on the Nov II 41 Axis turn.  Perhaps more later on this new Ger sp op plan and why the original plan was scrapped, if we get that far in the EA game reports.

For now, I will confess that in a hypothetical special truncated GE Scenario linking up Scorched Earth (SE) with a WW ER-II/M-M (Marita-Merkur)/War in the Desert Campaign Scenario game, where it might be agreed to end the big Scenario on, say, either the turn of Axis “in-theater surrender” in the Med/NA Command, per WW Rule 41A, or the Jun II 43 turn, at the latest, and assuming this scenario was being played for the first time, that I would likely want to keep the Ger LW paratroop units in Russia in the fall and winter of 1941-42, for the sake of that decisive WWII campaign, for the Axis side.  A slightly “shorter” version of the previously mentioned monster game might be a 1941-42 SE/WW ER-II/M-M/ME Scenario, likely ending on the Jan II 43 turn.  An even shorter GE “mini-scenario” might be a 1941 FitE (or TW, or BU?)/WW ER-II/M-M/ME Scenario, ending probably on the Mar II 42 turn.  But perhaps all these visions of titanic Europa games are only mirage, caused by the intense desert heat layer just above the Saharan sands, and then the sun’s glare.

 

End of Turn Dispositions

Mainland Europe off-map holding box [end of turn]:

0 Italian inf Replacement Points (RPs) at the end of the Axis I. Phase and the Axis turn: .5 It inf RP at the start of the turn, + .5 reinforcement It inf RP at step 14 of the I. Phase = a new total of 1 It inf RP in the middle of step 14 of the Axis I. Phase.   But this same 1 It inf RP was transferred to the Licata port/airfield hex, in Sicily, near the end of step 14 of the I. Phase, per WW Rule 37C2a-Mainland Europe, and then air transported from there to Tripoli, in Libya, in the M. Phase, by the SM 79-1 B type air unit beginning the turn at Licata, along w/ a Ger inf RP.  This leaves no It inf RPs in the mainland Europe off-map holding box.

1.5 German inf RPs at the end of the Axis I. Phase and the Axis turn: 1 Ger inf RP at the start of the turn: +  1.5 reinforcement Ger inf RPs at step 14 of the Axis I. Phase = a new total of 2.5 Ger inf RPs in the middle of step 14 of the Axis I. Phase.  But 1 Ger inf RP was transferred to the Licata port/airfield hex, in Sicily, near the end of step 14 of the I. Phase, and then air transported from there to Tripoli, in Libya, in the M. Phase, by the SM 79-1 B type air unit beginning the turn at Licata, along w/ an It inf RP.  This leaves 1.5 Ger inf RPs in the mainland Europe off-map holding box.

6 Ger ARPs at the end of the I. Phase and Sep I 41 Axis turn:  1 Ger ARP at the start of the Axis turn, which is the beginning of a new air cycle.  There were 5 Ger turn reinforcement ARPs at step 14 of the I. Phase, with a single accumulated Ger ARP carried over from the previous air cycle’s remainder, per WW Advanced Rule 25C5.  There were no German ARP expenditures or transfers this turn.  The Axis player may spend up to 2 Ger ARPs per turn, per WW Advanced Rue 25C6.

7 It ARPs at the end of the I. Phase and Sep I 41 Axis turn:  3 It ARPs at the start of the Axis turn, which is the beginning of a new air cycle.  The Axis player gets +.25 VPs for each “friendly ARP forfeited (not used or accumulated) at the end of each air cycle,” per the WW Axis & Allied Victory Point Schedule, found on p. 25 of the WW Scenarios & Appendices booklet.  This would be for a total of .5 Axis VP this turn.  There were 6 It turn reinforcement ARPs at step 14 of the I. Phase, with a single accumulated It ARP carried over from the previous air cycle’s remainder; this adds to the new total of 7.  There were no It ARP expenditures or transfers this turn.  The Axis player may spend up to 3 It ARPs per turn.

In Sicily [end of turn]:

Licata (18A:0102) [point city/minor port]:
3-cap permanent airfield
SM 79-1  2B3  1-5/22 [inop.; began turn here; early in the M. Phase it flew an air transport air mission, per WW Optional Rule 23E3, carrying 1 It inf RP and 1 Ger inf RP from Licata to Tripoli, in Libya; returned to base here]

Coast hex 18A:0403:
3-cap permanent airfield
G 50  3F3  0/9 [inop.; began turn at Slouch (18A:3222), in Libya; late in the E. Phase air transferred to here]

Coast hex 18A:0603:
3-cap permanent airfield
Ju 87B  2D3  4-1/8 [inop.; Italian; began turn here; at the very beginning of the M. Phase it flew the Malta Status tac bombing air mission; used the 3 column of the Antiaircraft Fire Table and evaded the Valletta flack; Hit ; returned to base here]

Syracusa (18A:0702) [reference city/minor port]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Augusta (18A:0701) [point city/minor port]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Malta on the Sep I 41 Axis turn:

Malta Status: 9, at the start of the turn, + 3 for Malta Status bombing hits done in the M. Phase prior to the naval movement step, = 12 during this turn’s naval movement step and at the EOT.

Valletta hex (18A:0407) flack this turn: 7 (3 intrinsic + a total of 4 for the two Br 0-1-8 hv AA IIs’ 2 flack factors each, as this turn these two ground units are in special general supply via the gsp’s successfully sea transported to Malta on the Sep I 41 Allied turn)

On this turn Malta Status air missions to the Valletta hex would roll on the 3 column of the Antiaircraft Fire Table, shifted two columns to the left, Per WW Rule 37I2a.

There were 4 gsp’s present in the Valletta hex at the start of the Axis player turn, and 5 REs of ground units on Malta.   The Allied player designates the 0-4 Cons X MC as the designated 1 RE unit that is definitely Red U-2.

Libya [end of turn]:

Tripolitania Garrison Box:
0-1-6* Inf III 290 GaF
0-1-6* Inf III 340 GaF
0-1-6* Inf III 350 GaF
0-2-6* Inf III 330 GaF

Tripoli (18A:0121) [clear terrain dot city/major port hex transportation line junction coast hex]:
Axis Supply Terminal marker
fort marker
0 pos flk unit  AA=3 [Italian]
5 steps of attack supply, at the end of the naval movement step and at the EOT:  3 steps of attack supply began the turn here and never moved, + 2 turn reinforcement steps of attack supply that began the turn at step 14 of the I. Phase in the mainland Europe off-map holding box and were then sea transported to here in the naval movement step of the M. Phase in 6 turn reinf NTPs; they disembarked at Tripoli and remained in the hex]
4.5 Ger arm Replacement  Points (RPs) at the end of the naval movement step and at the EOT:  3 Ger arm RPs began the turn here and were not expended or moved this turn, + 1.5 turn production reinforcement Ger arm RPs were that began the turn at step 14 of the I. Phase in the mainland Europe off-map holding box and were then sea transported to here in the naval movement step of the M. Phase in 3 turn reinf NTPs; they disembarked at Tripoli and were stored at the Axis standard supply terminal]
4 It inf RPs at the EOT:  4 It inf RPs began the turn here and were not expended or moved this turn, + 1 turn production reinforcement It inf RP that began the turn at step 14 of the I. Phase in the mainland Europe off-map holding box and was immediately transferred to the Licata port/airfield hex, in Sicily, and then in the M. Phase it was air transported to here by the It SM 79-1 B type air unit, along with a Ger inf RP; one of the other It inf RPs beginning the turn at Tripoli was air transported to Derna (18A:4116), in Libya, late in the E. Phase, by the Ger LW He 111H4 B type air unit, which began the turn here, along with a Ger inf RP]
2 Ger inf RPs at the EOT:  2 Ger inf RPs began turn here and were not expended or moved this turn, + 1 turn production reinforcement Ger inf RP that began turn at step 14 of the I. Phase in the mainland Europe off-map holding box and was immediately transferred to the Licata port/airfield hex, in Sicily, and then in the M. Phase it was air transported to here by the It SM 79-1 B type air unit, along with an It inf RP; one of the other Ger inf RPs beginning the turn at Tripoli was air transported to Derna late in the E. Phase, by the Ger LW He 111H4 B type air unit, beginning the turn here, along with an It inf RP]

18A:0122 [Castel Benito; clear terrain secondary rail line hex, S of Tripoli]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Homs (18A:0522) [rough terrain point city/minor port road junction coast hex]:
one step of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]

Misurata (18A:1022) [clear terrain point city coast road hex]:
1-cap temporary airfield

18A:0925 [clear terrain road hex]:
one step of attack supply [began turn at 18A:1023, S of Misurata; late in the E. Phase spent 2 SMPs exploiting along the road to here]

18A:1427 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
8 Mot Inf XX HQ 101 Trs [turn reinf; unsupported breakdown component of the 5-8 Mot Inf XX 101 Trs; began turn at step 14 of the I. Phase at the mainland Europe off-map holding box, assembled w/ the 5-8 mot inf XX; successfully sea transported to Tripoli in the naval movement step of the M. Phase, where the 5-8 mot inf XX broke down into its unsupported component parts; this component part then admin moved along the coast road to 18A:1023; exploited to here]
1-8 Mot Inf III 65 [same turn activity as its associated 8 Mot Inf XX HQ 101 Trs unit indicated above]
1-8 Mot Inf III 66 [same turn activity as its associated 8 Mot Inf XX HQ 101 Trs unit indicated above]

Sirte (18A:1727) [clear terrain point city coast road hex]:
fort marker
3-cap permanent airfield
Ju 88A4  4B5  3-7/26 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn here; at the very beginning of the M. Phase it flew the Malta Status tac bombing air mission; used the 3 column of the Antiaircraft Fire Table and evaded the Valletta flack; Hit; returned to base here]
Ju 88A4  4B5  3-7/26 (Ger LW) [same turn activity as the Ju 88A4 air unit indicated just above; it, too, scored a Malta Status Hit]
Ju 88A4  4B5  3-7/26 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn here; at the very beginning of the M. Phase it flew the Malta Status tac bombing air mission; used the 3 column of the Antiaircraft Fire Table and evaded the Valletta flack; Miss; returned to base here]

18A:2227 [sand coast road hex];
2-10 Mot Inf III 9 B [turn reinf; unsupported breakdown component of the 5-8 Mot Inf XX 101 Trs; began turn at step 14 of the I. Phase at the mainland Europe off-map holding box, assembled w/ the 5-8 mot inf XX; successfully sea transported to Tripoli in the naval movement step of the M. Phase, where the 5-8 mot inf XX broke down into its unsupported component parts; this component part then admin moved along the coast road to Buerat el Husm (18A:1226); exploited to here]
0-1-10 Mot Lt AA II  AA=1  617 (Ger) [turn reinf; began the turn at step 14 of the I. Phase in the mainland Europe off-map holding box; successfully sea transported to Tripoli in the naval movement step of the M. Phase, in a turn reinf NTP; admin moved along the coast road to Buerat el Husm (18A:1226); exploited to here]

18A:2730 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

El Agheila (18A:2930) [clear terrain point city coast road hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip
one step of attack supply [began turn at Sirte (18A:1727); late in the E. Phase it spent 12 SMPs exploiting along the road to here]

Agedabia (18A:3327) [clear terrain point city road junction hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip

Bengasi (18A:3121) [clear terrain reference city/major port transportation line junction hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
12 port damage hit markers
4 pos flk  AA=1 [Italian; began turn here; never moved]
1-6 Inf III A [began turn here; unsupported breakdown component of the 3-6 Inf XX 25 Bol; never moved]
one step of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]

Soluch (18A:3222) [clear terrain point city secondary rail terminus hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

18A:3617 [rough terrain road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

18A:3618 [Maraua; rough terrain road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Derna (18A:4116) [rough terrain point city/minor port coast road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
3 port damage hit markers
6 Inf XX HQ A [began turn here; unsupported breakdown component of the 3-6 Inf XX 25 Bol; never moved]
0-6 Lt AA II  AA=1  38 [began turn here; never moved]
BR 20M  3NB4  2-5/24 [operative; began turn here; never moved]
Br 20M  3NB4  2-5/24 [operative; began turn here; never moved]
He 111H4  4B4  2-7/22 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn at Tripoli (18a:0121); late in the E. Phase it loaded 1 Ger inf RP and 1 It inf RP stored there and flew a bomber on an air transport air mission (see WW Optional Rule 23E3) to here, flying a one-way regular transport mission with a range twice its printed movement rating, per WW Rule 19F1-Regular Transport]
1 Ger inf RP [began the turn at Tripoli, in Libya, late in the E. Phase air transported to here by He 111H B type air unit flying a bomber on an air transport air mission]
1 It inf RP [began the turn at Tripoli, in Libya, late in the E. Phase air transported to here by He 111H B type air unit flying a bomber on an air transport air mission]

Ain el Gazala (18A:4518) [clear terrain point city coast road hex]:
3-cap temporary airfield
8 Inf XX HQ 102 Trn [began turn at 18A:4618; moved to here along the road]
CR 42  3F3  0/9 [inop; began turn at Derna (18A:4116); early in the E. Phase it flew a fighter on a bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; returned by the Tobruch flack; rebased here]
CR 42  3F3  0/9 [inop.; began turn here; early in the E. Phase it flew a fighter on a bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; made it through the Tobruch flack and bombed the airfield, adding its 1 tac factor w/ that of the Ca 311 B type air unit, flying the same airfield bombing air mission; Miss; returned to base here]
Ca 311  2B2  1/L/14 [inop.; began turn here; early in the E. Phase it flew an airfield bombing air mission to the Touch target hex in a large air op; made it through the Tobruch flack and bombed the airfield, adding its 1 tac factor w/ that of the Cr 42 F type air unit flying a fighter on a bombing air mission; Miss; returned to base here]

18A:4618 [clear terrain coast road hex, SW of Ain el Gazala]:
1-6 Inf III A [began turn at 18A:4216, SE of Derna; unsupported breakdown component of the 3-6 Inf XX 25 Bol; moved along the road to here]

18A:4720 [clear terrain hex]:
0-1-6* Inf III 280 GaF [began turn at 18A:4719; regular moved to here]

18A:4620 [clear terrain hex]:
3-6 Inf XX 27 Brs [began turn at 18A:4718, SW of Tobruch; regular moved to here]

18A:4719 [clear terrain hex]:
0-6 Cons III 5 A [began turn at 18A:4818, S of Tobruch, where it spent 3 MPs completing the construction of a 3-cap temporary airfield, adding this to the 1 MP done by it in the previous Aug I 41 Axis turn towards the 2nd cap increase of a 1-cap temporary airfield; after completing the 3-cap temporary airfield’s construction it spent its remaining 3 MPs moving one hex (due to exiting enemy ZOCs) to here]

18A:4819 [clear terrain hex; 2 hexes S of Tobruch]:
3-6 Inf XX 55 Sav [began turn at 18A:4718; regular moved to here]
0-6 Cons III 10 A [began turn at 18A:4918, SE of Tobruch; spent all its MPs (due to enemy ZOCs and terrain) regular moving 2 hexes to here]

18A:4718 [clear terrain coast road hex; SW of Tobruch]:
fort marker
3-cap temporary airfield

5-8* Inf XX 90 LA (Ger) [assembled here for the first time from its unsupported component parts at the end of the M. Phase]

• 8* Inf XX HQ 9 La (Ger) [began turn at Ain el Gazala (18A:4518); regular moved to here along the road and assembled into the 5-8* Inf XX 90 LA at the end of the M. Phase]
• 2-8 Inf III 361 (Ger) [began turn at Ain el Gazala (18A:4518); regular moved to here along the road and assembled into the 5-8* Inf XX 90 LA at the end of the M. Phase]
• 2-8 Inf III 155 (Ger) [began turn at 18A:4720; regular moved to here and assembled into the 5-8* Inf XX 90 LA at the end of the M. Phase]

1-8 Aslt Eng II 31 G [began turn here; never moved]
1-6 Hv AA II  AA=1  29 [began turn here; never moved]
2-3-6 Art III 24 C [began turn here; never moved]
Ju 87B  2D3  4-1/8 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn here; in the previous Sep I 41 Allied turn it flew the Harassment air mission]
SM 79-2  2B3  3-4/V/20 [operative; began turn here; never moved]

18A:4818 [clear terrain road hex; S of Tobruch]:
3-cap temporary airfield [this temp airfield began the turn as a 1-cap airfield, w/ 1 construction MP already done for the next cap increase; the It 0-6 Cons 5 A beginning the turn in the hex spent 3 MPs increasing its cap to a 3, and then moved away]
7-6-8 Arm XX 132 Ar [began turn here; never moved]
3-4-8 Art III 221 (Ger) [began turn here; never moved]
Me 110D  5HF5  4-2/12 (Ger LW) [operative; began turn here; never moved]
G 50bis  3F3  0/10 [inop., turn reinf; began turn at step 14 of the I. Phase in the mainland Europe off-map holding box; air transferred to here late in the E. Phase]
Ju 87B  2D3  4-1/8 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn at 18A:4718; late in the E. Phase air transferred to here]

18A:4918 [clear terrain coast road hex; SE of Tobruch]:
3-cap temporary airfield [completed on the Aug I 41 Axis turn]
fort marker [its quick construction began on the previous Aug II 41 Axis I. Phase; it was completed on the current Sep I 41 Axis I. Phase]
3-6 Inf XX 17 Pav [began turn at 18A:4620; regular moved to here]
1-8 Inf III 61 [began turn at 18A:4720; regular moved to here]
1-8 Inf III 62 [began turn at 18A:4719; regular moved to here]
3-4-6 Art III 5 A [began turn here; never moved]
Me 109F1  6F6  1/8 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn here; early in the E. Phase it flew the CAP air mission over the Tobruch hex, just prior to the big Axis air op to the same hex; engaged in air combat w/ the intercepting SAAF Hurri 1 F type air unit based at Tobruch; aborted the Allied fighter unit; rebased here]
MC 200  3F4  1/8 [inop.; began turn at Ain el Gazala (18A:4518); early in the E. Phase it flew a fighter on a bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; evaded the Tobruch flack and bombed the airfield; Hit; returned to base here]
MC 200  3F4  1/8 [inop.; turn reinf; placed at 18A:0403, in Sicily, at step 14 of the I. Phase; late in the E. Phase it flew an air transfer air mission to here]

18A:5017 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
1-6 Tnk II 4 [began turn at 18A:4819; regular moved to here; remained in the hex]
1-8 Mot Art III 2 AC [began turn at 18A:4819; regular moved to here; remained in the hex]

18A:5118 [clear terrain hex]:
2-1-8 Lt Arm III 32 [began turn at 18A:5018; regular moved to here; remained in the hex]
1-8 Mot Art III 3 AC [began turn at 18A:5018; regular moved to here; remained in the hex]

19A:0218 [clear terrain road junction hex, SE of Porto Bardiya]:
1-10 Mot AT II 605 (Ger) [began turn at Porto Bardiya; moved one hex to here; remained in the hex]
1-8 Mot Art III 1 AC [began turn at Porto Bardiya; moved one hex to here; remained in the hex]
one step of attack supply [began turn at 18A:4818; late in the E. Phase it spent 9 SMPs exploiting along the road and through enemy ZOCs, to here]

Porto Bardiya (19A:0318) [clear terrain unimproved fortress/point city/minor port road terminus coast hex]:
unimproved fortress
5 port damage hit markers
0-8 Cons III Afr (Ger) [began turn at 18A:4918, SE of Tobruch; regular moved to here; spent its last 2 MPs beginning the construction of a 1-cap temporary airfield here]
2-3-8 Art III 16 C [began turn at 18A:4818, S of Tobruch; regular moved to here]

19A:0319 [clear terrain coast road hex, S of Porto Bardiya]:
9-10 Pz XX 21 (Ger) [began turn at 18A:5119; regular moved to here; in the E. Phase the pz XX exploited eastwards along the Egyptian coast road to Sidi Barrani (19A:0718) and then double backed to here, capturing for the Axis side the Sidi Barrani point city hex and the Egyptian coast road hexes in between]
2-10 Mot Inf III 7 B [began turn at 18A:5119; regular moved to here; remained in the hex]
1-10 Mot Hv AA II  AA=2  I/33 (Ger LW) [began turn at 18A:5119; regular moved to here; remained in the hex]

19A:0219 [clear terrain hex]:
9-10 Pz XX 15 (Ger) [began turn at 18A:4918; regular moved to here; remained in the hex]
3-10 Mot Inf III 115 (Ger) [began turn at Porto Bardiya (19A:0318); regular moved to here; remained in the hex]
1-10 Mot Hv AA  AA=2  I/18 (Ger LW) [began turn at Porto Bardiya; moved to here; remained in the hex]

Crete [end of turn]:

Khania (18A:4403) [rough terrain reference city/standard port road terminus coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Erakleion (18A:4903) [rough terrain reference city/standard port coast road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

On Scarpanto [end of turn]:

Scarpanto (19A:0701) [rough port point city minor port hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

At Rodi [end of turn]:

Rodi (20A:2230) [clear terrain point city/standard port coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

20A:2331 [rough terrain coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Med/NA Replacement Pool [end of turn]:

1 x 2-6 Inf XX 60 Sbr
1 x 2-10 Mot Inf III 10 B
1 x 2-1-8 Lt Tnk III 3
2 x 1-8 Lt Tnk X 1,2
5 x 1-6 Tnk II 1, 3, 5, 6, 21
1 x Para Inf III Tonini
3 x 0-1-6* Inf III 300 GaF, 310 GaF, 320 GaF
1 x 3-4-6 Art III 24 dM
3 x 2-3-6 Art III 10 C, 20 C, 21 C
1 x 1-6 Art III 23 C
1 x 3-4-6 Art III 8 A [Jun I 41 Axis turn reinf; sunk in sea transit to Libya that turn by Allied anti-shipping, per the Naval Table]
4 x 0 pos flk unit AA=1 [Italian]

Med/NA Aborted Air Units Box:

CR 42AS  3F3  1/8 [in the C. Phase of the Aug II 41 Axis turn it flew the GS air mission to the Tobruch target hex; aborted by the Tobruch flack shot]

Me 109E  7F5  1/7 (Ger LW) [began turn at 18A:4918, SE of Tobruch; early in the E. Phase flew the Escort air mission for the big Axis air op flying to the Tobruch target hex; engaged in air combat w/ the intercepting Br Hurri 1 F type air unit, based at Tobruch; aborted in the air combat]

MC 200  3F4  1/8 [inop; began turn at 18A:4918, early in the E. Phase flew a fighter on a bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; aborted by the Tobruch flack shot]

Med/NA Command Eliminated Air Units Box:

vacant

Axis Near East Command

On the Jul II 41 Axis turn the Vichy French Levant surrendered to the invading Allies, per the Allied player’s Variable Levant Surrender Table dice roll, done at step 13 of the Axis I. Phase. By the end of the following Aug I 41 Allied turn, all cities in the Levant were Allied-owned save one, namely the point city of Idib (21A:3333), two hexes SW of Alep in the NW region of Syria.  At the start of the Aug II 41 Axis turn all cities in the Levant were finally Allied-owned; and there were no remaining Axis forces in the Levant or in the Near East. In the EA reported Scenario and also in the WW ME and WD Scenarios, I think, all Syrian and Lebanese land hexes that are Axis-controlled at the time of the Vichy French Levant surrender continue to be Axis-owned until either captured by the subsequent movement of Allied units w/ ZOCs and/or all cities in the Levant are Allied-controlled in an I. Phase, at step 12, essentially via WW Optional Rule 5B5. These conditions appeared to be fulfilled at step 12 of the Aug II 41 Axis I. Phase, and so at that time all land hexes in Syria and Lebanon were declared Allied owned.

The Iranians surrendered on the previous Aug II 41 Axis I. Phase.  There are still neutral pro-Axis hexes and airbases in Iran, but they are too far from friendly Axis bases to be of any use to the Axis war effort.

In pro-Allied neutral Iraq [end of turn]:

• In the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario the pro-Axis Iraqi coup automatically occurs in the Apr I 41 Axis I. Phase.
• The Iraqi coup collapsed at step 4 of the I. Phase of the May II 41 Axis turn, when the Allied player rolled the dice checking for an Iraqi Coup Collapse, using the Variable Iraqi Coup Collapse Table, per WW Rule 38J5.  The Iraqi army surrendered and all forces were then removed from the maps.  All Iraqi hexes then became Allied-owned, except Mosul, which at that time contained a Ger LW air unit.  This Ger LW air unit subsequently evacuated Iraq later in the May II 41 Axis turn.  On the following Jun I 41 Allied turn a Br ground unit gained control of the Mosul hex, and thus the Allies had complete control of all hexes in newly pro-Allied Iraq.
• This Axis turn, At step 2 of the I. Phase, the Axis player did the Fawzi al Qawukji action die roll, per WW Optional Rule 39E4, and came up with a 1:  “Fawzi does nothing.”

21A:4621 [stony desert hex]:

Guerrilla unit Fawzi (Bandit) [guerrilla-capable inf II bandit unit, in guerrilla mode; began turn here; remains here in the guerrilla mode per the Fawzi al Qawukji action die roll]

21A:5020 [stony desert road hex]:

Guerrilla unit Fawzi (Bandit) [dummy guerrilla-capable unit, in guerrilla mode; began turn here; remains here in the guerrilla mode per the Fawzi al Qawukji action die roll].

Turn Activity

At step 2 of the I. Phase the Axis player does the Fawzi al Qawukji action die roll, per WW Optional Rule 39E4, and comes up with a 1:  “Fawzi does nothing,” Per WW Optional Rule 39E4.

At step 11 of the I. Phase the Allied forces at Tobruch are still isolated and most all the ground units there are all at U-4 supply status, except the recently arrived Br 2-8 Inf X 14, which now becomes black U-1. The recently rebuilt Br Hurri 1 F type air unit now becomes Black U-2, as does the Br 3-8 Inf X 22 G. But all forces in the Tobruch hex are in special general supply due to the gsp’s available there at the supply determination step of the I. Phase.

At step 14 of the I. Phase the Axis player places his ground unit and production reinforcements in the mainland Europe off-map holding box, and also the It G 50bis  3F3  0/10 air unit turn reinforcement.  He places the MC 200  3F4  1/8 air unit reinforcement at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 18A:0403, in Sicily.  He does no ground unit replacement builds, nor does he repair with ARPs the It CR 42AS  3F3  1/8 air unit in the Aborted Air Units Box of his Med/NA Command Replacement Pool.  He is anticipating big air unit losses prior to the next air cycle and does not want to spend ARPs so early on repairing the old aborted biplane fighter unit.

At step 16 of the I. Phase the Allied player converts the single step of attack supply at Tobruch into 12 new gsp’s, per WW Rule 12C4b.

At step 22 of the I. Phase the Allied player sends the two A-22  3A3  2-1/19 (one Br & one SAAF) air units based at El Alamein (19A:2119) on the Harassment air mission to the Egyptian target hex at 19A :0821.  At the end of step 22 the two A type air units rebase at 19A:1319, having delivered their total of 4 tac factors to the 0821 target hex, good for two harassment marker hits.

At step 24 of the I. Phase the Allied player removes from the map the 12 old gsp’s at Tobruch that were generated there on the earlier Aug II 41 Axis phase from a step of attack supply then at the hex.

The first thing the Axis player does in his M. Phase is send the Italian Ju 87B  2D3  4-1/8 air unit based at 18A:0603, at Sicily, and the three Ju 88A4  4B5  3-7/26 (Ger LW) air units at Sirte (18A:1727), in Libya, on the Malta Status tac bombing air mission to the Valletta hex (18A:0407), at Malta. This turn the Axis air units roll on the 3 column of the Antiaircraft Fire Table, Per WW Rule 37I2a, as now the Allies have gsp’s at Malta at step 11 of the I. Phase, when supply status is determined.  The It Ju 87B D type air units gets past the Valletta hex’s flack, and scores a Hit on the Bombing Table. The three Ju 88A4 B type air units also get past Valletta’s 3 factor flack shot and two of their three strat bombing die rolls are Hits. The It Ju 87B D type air unit rebases at 18A:0603, in Sicily, and the three Ju 88A4 air units return to base at Sirte.

Next, the SM 79-1 B type air unit based at Licata (18A:0102), at Sicily flies a bomber on an air transport air mission, per WW Optional Rule 23E3, carrying 1 Ger inf Replacement Point (RP) and one It inf RP to Tripoli (18A:0121), in Libya. It returns to base at Licata.

After that the Axis player sea transports across the Cent Med sea zone to Tripoli, in Libya, his turn reinforcements in the mainland Europe off-map holding box.  He sends the It 5-8 Mot Inf XX 101 Trs across the Mediterranean as an assembled mot inf XX, but after it disembarks he breaks it down into its unsupported components.  The other Axis ground unit reinforcement, the Ger 0-1-10 Mot Lt AA II 617, and the two reinforcement steps of attack supply, and also the 1.5 Ger arm Replacement Points (RPs) all successfully make it across the Cent Med sea zone. All these sea transported turn reinforcement items roll on the most favorable 12 column of the Naval Table, when checking for Allied anti-shipping effects.

In the M. Phase the It 0-6 Cons 5 A, beginning the turn at 18A:4818, S of Tobruch, spends 3 MPs completing the 3-cap temporary airfield there and then moves away from the Allied fortress’ perimeter, to the SW, to hex 18A:4719.  After completing the fort at 18A:4918, using quick-construction technique with the Ger 0-8 Cons III Afr, the It 0-6 Cons 10A pulls away from the Tobruch perimeter hex and also moves in a SW direction, ending its move at 18A:4819, stacked with the 3-6 Inf XX 55 Sav, which moved there to protect it next turn from overruns.  On the other hand, the Ger 0-8 Cons III Afr does not make any wide arcing SW swing round Tobruch, but instead regular moves directly east into Porto Bardiya, where it begins construction there of a 1-cap temporary airfield.  It is joined at Porto Bardiya with the 2-3-8 Art 16 C, giving it some strength from potential Allied overruns.

Early in the E. Phase the Axis player executes a series of  air missions against the Tobruch hex, attempting to eliminate the two Allied Hurri 1 F type air units there.  First he flies the Ger LW Me 109F1  6F6  1/8 air unit based at adjacent hex 18A:4918 on the CAP air mission over the hex.  The Allied player sends only the SAAF Hurri 1 F type air unit based at Tobruch on the Intercept air mission over the Tobruch target hex, but the Me 109F1 air unit aborts the SAAF Hurri 1 air unit; the SAAF Hurri 1 F type rolls a (-).  The Me 109F1 returns to base at the 3-cap temporary airfield at 18A:4918.

Next the Axis player sends the MC 200  3F4  1/8 air unit based at 18A:4918, the other MC 200 F type air unit based at Ain el Gazala, and the two CR 42  3F3  0/9 air units based at Gazala and Derna, respectively, all on a fighter on a bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex.  Accompanying them is the Ca 311  2B2  1/L/14 air unit, based at Gazala.  The large Axis air op is escorted by the Ger LW Me 109E  7F5  1/7 air unit, based at 18A:4918.  The Br Hurri 1 F type air unit based at Tobruch flies the Intercept air mission and engages in air combat with the formidable ME 109E air unit, and aborts it, whereas the Me 109 E rolls a (-).  After the air combat the Allied player rolls for Tobruch’s flack shots on the 3 column of the Antiaircraft Fire Table against the Axis air units flying the bombing air missions, and one of the CR 42 F type air units on a bombing air mission is returned by flack.  Because of its L code, the vulnerable Ca 311 B type air unit doesn’t get the +1 modifier for being a bomber, but still survives the 3 factor flack shot, and then pairs up with the remaining CR 42 air unit for a total of 2 tac factors on an airfield bombing mission, but rolls a Miss on the Bombing table.  However, the MC 200 F type air unit on an airfield bombing mission, with its tac factor of 1 thus jacked up to 2, rolls high on the Bombing Table and scores a hit on Tobruch’s airfields, which have a total capacity of 4, and so the Axis player does get something for all his aerial efforts against the improved fortress hex.  Afterwards all the surviving Axis air units involved in the big Tobruch air op return to base in various airfields in the Tobruch zone.  See the text above or the pictures below for these details.

Then the Axis player loads a Ger inf RP and an It inf RP on the Ger LW He 111H4 B type air unit based at Tripoli, in Libya, which flies a 1-way air transport air mission (eg., a bomber on an air transport air mission, this time at double range but still at regular lift capacity) from there to Derna, in an effort to get some RPs closer to the front, in case of casualties there, which are expected soon.

The Axis player also does some air unit transfers late in the E. Phase.  See the EOT dispositions text above or the pictures below for these details.

Commentary

The Axis EOT disposition is certainly not pretty, nor is it brilliant, nor are its prospects for achieving anything like Victory evident.  It is in fact the desperate maneuver of a rather small desperate army near the end of its rope.  It also shows how the unimproved fortress of Porto Bardiya has become an albatross hanging around the neck of the Axis in North Africa.  It must be defended if the siege of Tobruch is to continue, the Axis  player believes, lest the Allies run in some infantry XXs and make a forward bastion out of it, likely in conjunction with an armored force at adjacent Halfaya Pass.  The alternative would be to lift the siege of Tobruch and instigate a “strategic maneuver” somewhat to the west, in accordance with some longer-term Axis defensive plan, either in the Cyrenaican rough terrain area or perhaps better yet at the Agedabia-El Agheila zone.  But right now the Axis player feels like this is little more than a Chicken Little retreat, and instead opts to play with fire, attempting the more dangerous game of bluff and intimidation with the strengthening 8th Army, and perhaps making something out of a yet unseen Allied bad move, or one more wild attack at Tobruch, if he can manage it in time.

 

End of Turn Dispositions

Malta [end of turn]:

• Malta Status: 9, end of turn [at turn’s start 11, – 2 repairs this turn = 9]
• Malta Repair Rate: beginning on the Jul I 41 turn, 2 repair points each I turn and 1 repair point each II turn, per the WitD Allied OB booklet.
• At the start of the Allied turn there were no gsp’s present in the Valletta hex. On the previous Aug II 41 Allied turn the Allied player was unable to successfully sea transport any gsp’s to Malta, as the usual W Med NTP carrying the 4 gsp’s generated at Gibraltar had been sunk on the Aug I 41 Allied turn by Axis anti-shipping forces when it entered the Cent Med sea zone on map 18A.  Nor could this W Med NTP be replaced on the Aug II 41 Allied I. Phase.  This lack of gsp’s at Valletta at step 11 of the I. Phase is important for the two Br hv AA IIs’ flack factors, which are currently halved due to being U-2. Valletta’s intrinsic flack is not affected by supply, as in the EA game reports for the WW 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario we are not using WW Optional Rule 12E4-Intrinsic AA and General Supply Effects.
• The Br Hurri 2 5F5 1/9 air unit is in the Eliminated Air Units Box of the Malta Command Replacement Pool.

Valletta (18A:0407) [rough terrain point city major port hex, w/ a strong natural harbor]:
3-cap permanent airfield; one hit of damage
Valletta hex flack factor: 5 (3 intrinsic, + a total of 2 for the two Br 0-1-8 hv AA II units, AA = 2 each, but halved for being U-2)
3-6* Inf X 1 M [definitely Red U-2]
2-6* Inf X 2 M [definitely Red U-2]
3-6* Inf X 3 M [definitely Red U-2]
0-1-8 Hv AA II AA=2 10 [definitely Red U-2; flack factor halved]
0-1-8 Hv AA II AA=2 4 [definitely Red U-2; flack factor halved]
0-4 Cons X MC [definitely Red U-2]
two ARPs [one ARP was sea transported to Valletta from Gibraltar on a turn reinf NTP and the other ARP was flown in from the RN CG-2 naval unit in the naval movement step of the M. Phase; the RN CG-2 naval unit entered map 18A from the west edge of the map, from Gibraltar]
4 gsp’s [sea transported from Gibraltar in the naval movement step of the M. Phase in a W Med NTP]

In Libya [{beginning of the turn}/end of turn]:

Tobruch (18A:4817) [clear terrain fortress point city standard port road junction hex, w/ a strong natural harbor]:
Improved fortress; construction of the improved fortress was completed in the May II 41 Allied I. Phase.

• Per the WW Airbase Summary, improved fortresses have a permanent airfield capacity of 1.

3-cap temporary airfield
{two hits of airfield damage}
0-1-4 Cons X 66 RPC (Col) [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4; spent 4 MPs in the hex repairing the two airfield hits of damage]
2-8* Inf X 26 (Aus) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 9; never moved; technically Red U-4]
7-8 Inf XX 50 Nth [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4]
0-1-8 Hv AA II AA=2 51 [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4]
3-8 Inf X 22 G [began turn here; never moved; technically Black U-1; sea transported into Tobruch on the Aug II 41 Allied turn]
2-8 Inf X 14 [began turn at Matruh (19A:1218); in the M. Phase it was sea transported to here this turn in an E Med NTP]
3-8 Art X 13 [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4]
Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 SAAF [operative; began turn here; never moved; technically Black U-4]
Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 [operative; began turn here; never moved; technically Black U-1; 2 ARP Eliminated rebuild on the Aug II 41 Allied turn]
12 gsp’s [generated at step 16 of the Aug II 41 Axis I. Phase from a step of attack supply present in the Tobruch hex; these provide special general supply this turn and in the following Sep I 41 Axis turn; they will be removed from the map at step 24 of the Sep I 41 Axis I. Phase, after the step 11 supply determination step]
one step of attack supply [turn reinforcement; in the naval movement step of the current M. Phase it was successfully sea transported to here in 3 turn reinf NTPs]
{4 gsp’s [generated on the Aug II 41 Allied turn at step 16 of the I. Phase at Suez; successfully sea transported to the Tobruch beach hex in an E Med ANTP and amphibiously disembarked there in the naval movement step of the Aug II 41 Allied M. Phase]}

In Egypt [{beginning of the turn}/end of turn]:

19A:0818 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
6-4-6 Arm X 32 T [turn reinf conversion unit, as is also the 1-6 Recon II 1 DG unit, which is linked to the same conversion activity; the conversion is done at step 14 of the I. Phase at 19A:0919 from the component conversion units; regular moved to here in the M. Phase; remained in the hex]

• {3-2-10 Arm X 3 [began turn at 19A:0919; converted to the 6-4-6 Arm X 32T at step 14 of the I. Phase]}
• {2-1-6 Tnk II 4 RT [began turn at 19A:0919; converted to the 6-4-6 Arm X 32T at step 14 of the I. Phase]}
• {2-1-6 Tnk II 7 RT [began turn at 19A:0919; converted to the 6-4-6 Arm X 32T at step 14 of the I. Phase]}

1-10 Recon II 1 DG [turn reinf conversion unit, in conjunction w/ the 6-4-6 Arm X 32 T unit conversion; the conversion is done at at step 14 of the I. Phase at hex 19A:0919 from the component conversion units; regular moved to here in the M. Phase; remained in the hex]
1-10 Recon II 6 (SA) [began turn at 19A:0919; moved to here]
3-8 Art X 10 [began turn at 19A:0920; moved to here]
5 pos flk unit AA=1 [British; began turn 19A:0920; regular moved to here]
5 pos flk unit AA=1 [British; began turn at Port Said (19A:3413), in Egypt; in the M. Phase sea transported to Matruh in an E Med NTP; disembarked at Matruh and then admin moved to here]

19A:0920 [clear terrain hex]:
0-8 Marine Cmdo II ME [began turn at 19A:1020; moved one hex to here]

19A:0819 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
6-4-6 Arm X 1 T [began turn at 19A:0920; moved to here]
3-2-10 Arm X 7 [began turn at 19A:0920; moved to here]
2-1-10* Lt Arm X 9 [began turn at 19A:0919; moved to here]
1-10* Mot Inf X 3 (Ind) [began turn at 19A:0919; moved to here, but only after capturing for the Allies the two Siwa road hexes 19A:0823&0923 that the Axis captured in their Aug II 41 turn]
1-10* Mot SG X AA=1 2 [began turn at 19A:0920; moved to here, but only after capturing for the Allies all the Egyptian coast road hexes previously owned by the Axis, up to and including Halfaya Pass (19A:0419) and Sidi Barrani (19A:0718)]
1-2-10* Mot SG X AA=1 7 [began turn at 19A:0919; moved to here; remained in the hex]

19A:0918 [clear terrain coast road hex]
2-8* Inf X 24 (Aus) [began turn 19A:1019; supported breakdown component of the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 9; regular moved to here]
2-8 Eng X 1 (Aus) [began turn 13A:1319; regular moved to here]
1-8 AT II 65 [began turn at 19A:1019; regular moved to here]

19A:0919 [clear terrain hex; on the next not completed Tobruch-Matruh railway line]:
2-8* Inf X 161 [supported breakdown of the Br 7-8* Inf XX 6; the 7-8* Inf XX 6 began the turn at 19A:1119 and broke down into its supported components early in the M. Phase; this supported component regular moved to here]
0-1-4 Cons X 43 RPC (Col) [ began turn at 19A:1019; after expending all its MPs completing the railway construction here it voluntarily automatically advanced one hex to here]
1-8 Art II 1 (Aus) [began turn at 19A:1118; regular moved to here]

19A:1019 [clear terrain major rail line (Matruh to Tobruch railway) hex]:
railhead marker

• The Matruh-Tobruch railhead marker was advanced into this hex in the M. Phase, from its Matruh hex starting point, after the 1 RE cons unit beginning the turn in hex 19A:1019 declared all its MPs expended in building the railway line there. Doing this also gives the 0-1-4 cons X the ability to voluntarily automatically advance into the adjacent not yet completed Tobruch-Matruh railway hex, per WW Rule 14A1. Per the WitD Allied OB booklet the Tobruch-Matruh railway construction may begin on the Aug II 41 Allied turn.

19A:1018 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
7-8 Inf XX 2 (SA) [assembled here at the end of the M. Phase from its unsupported component parts]

• 8 Inf XX HQ 2 (SA) [began turn at Matruh (19A:1218); regular moved to here and assembled into the SA 7-8 Inf XX 2 at the end of the M. Phase]
• 2-8 Inf X 4 (SA) [began turn at 19A:1219; regular moved to here and assembled into the SA 7-8 Inf XX 2 at the end of the M. Phase]
• 2-8 Inf X 5 (SA) [began turn at 19A:1118; regular moved to here and assembled into the SA 7-8 Inf XX 2 at the end of the M. Phase]
• 2-8 Inf X 2 (SA) [began turn at 19A:1019; regular moved to here and assembled into the SA 7-8 Inf XX 2 at the end of the M. Phase]

one step of attack supply [turn reinf; sea transported to Ismailia (19A:3516) in the M. Phase, where it disembarked; then it railed to Matruh and spent 3 SMPs moving to here in the M. Phase]

8 gsp’s [all generated in the current I. Phase, 4 at Alexandria and 4 at Suez; in the M. Phase each batch of four was railed to Matruh, where the combined batch of eight spent 3 SMPs moving to here in the M.Phase]

19A:1119 [clear terrain major rail line (Matruh to Tobruch railway) hex, SW of Matruh]:
{7-8* Inf XX 6 [British; began turn here; at the beginning of the M. Phase it broke down into its supported components]}
7-8 Inf XX 6 (Aus) [assembled here at the end of the M. Phase from its unsupported component parts]

• 8 Inf XX HQ 6 (Aus) [began turn at 19A:1219; regular moved to here and assembled into the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 6 at the end of the M. Phase]
• 2-8 Inf X 19 (Aus) [began turn at 19A:1219; regular moved to here and assembled into the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 6 at the end of the M. Phase]
• 2-8 Inf X 17 (Aus) [began turn at 19A:1118, moved one hex to here and assembled into the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 6 at the end of the M. Phase]
• 2-8 Inf X 16 (Aus) [turn RP rebuild; placed at Alexandria at step 14 of the I. Phase; admin moved to here and assembled into the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 6 at the end of the M. Phase]

Matruh (19A:1218) [clear terrain point city/minor port road-major rail line junction coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
fort marker
3-8* Mtn X Karp (Pol) [began turn at 19A:1418; moved to here]
0-1-8 Hv AA II AA=2 68 [began turn here; never moved]
1-8 MG II 1 RNF [began turn at Matruh (19A:1218); never moved]
P-40C  5F5  1/13 SAAF [operative; began turn here; never moved]
Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 (RAAF) [inop.; began turn at Alexandria; in the Aug II 41 Axis E. Phase it flew a non-phasing air transfer air mission to here from Basra (22A:4313), in Iraq; late in the E. Phase of the Sep I 41 turn it air transferred to here]
Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 [inop.; began turn here; flew the CAP air mission to all-sea hex 19A:0717 in the naval movement step of the M. Phase; rebased at the very beginning of the ground movement step of the M. Phase]
one step of attack supply [turn reinf; sea transported to Ismailia (19A:3526) in the M. Phase, where it disembarked; railed to Matruh]

19A:1219 [clear terrain road to Siwa hex, S of Matruh]:
8 Inf XX HQ 2 (NZ) [began turn at 19A:1320; regular moved one hex to here]
2-8 Inf X 6 (NZ) [began turn at 19A:1320; regular moved one hex to here]
2-8 Inf X 4 (NZ) [began turn at 19A:1320; regular moved one hex to here]

19A:1319 [major rail line coast hex, SE of Matruh]:
3-cap temporary airfield
0-1-6 Cons X 61 RPC (Col) [turn reinf; began turn at step 14 of the I. Phase at Matruh (19A:1218); in the M. Phase it moved one hex to here and expended 2 MPs to complete the final cap increase, to 3, of the temporary airfield began in the previous Aug II 41 turn, when the 2-8 Eng X 1 (Aus) spent the first 2 MPs of its construction; early in the current turn’s M. Phase the Aus eng X expended 4 MPs in hex 1319 completing the 1-cap temporary airfield and increasing its cap to 2, after which it moved away]

P-40C  5F5  1/13 [inop.; turn reinf; began at Alexandria at step 14 of the I. Phase; late in the E. Phase it air transferred to here]

19A:1418 [clear terrain major rail coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

0-8 Lt AA II AA=1 57 [began turn here; never moved]
Well 1C  3NB4  1-6/28 [inop.; began turn here; late in the E. Phase it flew a night Port strat Bombing air mission to the Derna hex, in Libya, Miss; rebased here]
Well 1C  3NB4  1-6/28 [inop.; began turn here; late in the E. Phase it flew a night Port strat Bombing air mission to the Derna hex, in Libya, Miss; rebased here]
Blen 4  3B3  1-2/23 [operative; began turn here; never moved]

19A:1320 [clear terrain hex]:
2-8* Inf X 150 [supported breakdown of the 7-8* Inf XX 6; the 7-8* Inf XX 6 began the turn at 19A:1119 and broke down into its supported components early in the M. Phase; this supported component regular moved to here]
2-8* Inf X 151 [supported breakdown of the 7-8* Inf XX 6; the 7-8* Inf XX 6 began the turn at 19A:1119 and broke down into its supported components early in the M. Phase; this supported component regular moved to here]

19A:1420 [clear terrain hex]:
2-8* Inf X 7 (Ind) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 4 (Ind); never moved]
2-8* Inf X 6 (SA) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 1 (SA); never moved]

19A:1521 [clear terrain hex]:
2-8* Inf X 5 (Ind) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 4 (Ind); never moved]
2-8* Inf X 3 (SA) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 1 (SA); never moved]

19A:1621 [clear terrain hex, adjacent to Qattara Depression]:
2-8* Inf X 11 (Ind) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 4 (Ind); never moved]
2-8* Inf X 1 (SA) [began turn here; supported breakdown component of 7-8 Inf XX 1 (SA); never moved]

El Alamein (19A:2119/20A:5033) [clear terrain point city major rail coast road hex]:
3-cap temporary airfield
fort marker [completed in the Jul II 41 Allied I. Phase]
0-8 Hv AA II AA=1 2 (Aus) [began turn here; never moved]
A-22  3A3  2-1/19 [inop.; began turn here; flew the Harassment air mission on the Aug II 41 Axis turn]
A-22  3A3  2-1/19 SAAF [inop.; began turn here; flew the Harassment air mission on the Aug II 41 Axis turn]
Blen 4  3B3  1-2/23 [operative; began turn here; never moved]

Alexandria (20A:4930/19A:2416) [full city hex/major port major rail line coast hex]:
Supply Terminal marker
3-cap permanent airfield
{0-2-8 Hv AA X AA=4 1 NMBDO (RM) [began turn here; per the WitD Allied OB Withdraws this turn, at step 14 of the I. Phase]}
2-8* Inf X 20 (Aus) [began turn at Tobruch (18A:4817); supported breakdown component of the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 9; sea transported to here in an E Med NTP in the M. Phase; technically Red U-4 this turn, but in special general supply via gsp’s at Tobruch; disembarked and remained in the Alexandria hex]
0-8 Lt AA II AA=1 27 [British; turn reinf; sea transported to here in the M. Phase in a turn reinf NTP; disembarked and remained in the Alexandria hex]
Hurri 1  5NF5  1/8 [inop.; began turn at Matruh (19A:1218); late in the E. Phase it air transferred to here]
Bombay  1T2  1-2/15 [operative; began turn here; never moved]
one step of attack supply [began turn at H-3 Pump Station (21A:5125), in Iraq; in the M. Phase it spent 20 SMPs moving along the transportation lines to secondary rail line hex 20A:4809 (Nazareth), in Palestine; railed from Nazareth to here]

Cairo (19A:3219) [full city hex transportation line junction hex, NW of the Cairo partial city hex]:

0-1-6 RR Eng X MEF (Emp) [began turn here; Egypt Garrison eng/cons unit; never moved]

• This unit can’t move from here w/out violating the Egypt Garrison eng/cons unit provision, unless another 1 RE eng/cons unit takes its place.

Cairo (19A:3320) [clear terrain partial city hex, SE of the Cairo full city hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Port Said (20A:5121/19A:3413) [swamp dot city/standard port/Suez Canal major rail line terminal coast hex]:
vacant by the end of the M. Phase

Ismailia (20A:3516) [sand reference city/standard port/Suez Canal transportation line junction hex]:
1-8 Cav X 5 [began turn at Haifa (20A:4710), in Palestine; admin moved to here]
Glad 3F3 0/8 [inop.; began turn at Alexandria, in Egypt; air transferred to here late in the E. Phase]

Suez (19A:3718) [clear terrain reference city/major port transportation line nexus coast hex]:
Supply Terminal marker
1-8 MG II 2 Ch [began turn at Haifa (20A:4710), in Palestine; railed to here]
two steps of attack supply [began the turn at Basra (22A:4313), in Iraq; in the naval movement step of the M. Phase they embarked on 6 E Med NTPs, exited the S edge of map 22A, and spent 110 naval movement points to enter the Aden off-map holding box (see WW Allied Game Chart 1–Holding Boxes), but they did not disembark there; in the naval movement step of the E. Phase they resumed anew their naval movement, expending 75 naval movement points to enter the Red Sea at the SW edge of map 19A, and continuing their voyage until entering the port of Suez, where the two steps of attack supply finally disembarked]

In Palestine [end of turn]:

• Per WW Game Play Chart 5–Allied Garrisons, the Palestine garrison requirement is 3 REs of Garrison-category units. The Allied garrisons are determined at step 17 of the Allied I. Phase. However, per WW Rule 37E4, Forming units in the ME Replacement Pool count at their regular RE size for the Palestine Garrison requirement, as do also ME Replacement Pool units, but they count at 1/3 their regular RE size. In addition to the 1.5 Garrison-capable REs present on-map in Palestine, the Allied player is counting some of the 3.5 Garrison-capable REs in the Forming Box of the Middle East Command Replacement Pool. See below, in the Middle East Replacement Pool section, for further details.

Haifa (20A:4710) [clear terrain dot city/major port transportation line junction coast hex]:

• Railhead marker [per WW Rule 41B1a-Western Desert Campaign Starting Conditions, “the transportation line from Haifa to Tripoli (20A:4005) is a road, not a railroad.” This stipulation is used in the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario.

1-8 Cav X 6 [began turn at Lattique (20A:3405), in Syria; admin moved southwards along the Levant coastline to here]

Tel Aviv (19A:4308 [clear terrain dot city/minor port major rail line junction coast hex]:
2-8 Inf X 29 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]

Allied Units in Armistice Lebanon & Syria [end of turn]:

• Per the WW Game Play Chart 5–Allied Garrisons (Rule 37E), it appears the Allied player is fulfilling the garrison requirements for the Vichy French Levant, and has been since the beginning of the Allied invasion of the the Levant on the Jun I 41 Allied turn.

Beyrouth (20A:4207) [rough terrain dot city/standard port transportation line junction coast hex]:
3-8* Inf X 1 FL (FF) [began turn at Damas (20A:4505); admin moved to here]

Tripoli (20A:4005) [rough terrain reference city/minor port transportation line coast hex]:

• Railhead marker [per WW Rule 41B1a-Western Desert Campaign Starting Conditions, “the transportation line from Haifa to Tripoli (20A:4005) is a road, not a railroad.” This stipulation is used in the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario.

2-8* Inf X 18 (Aus) [began turn at Beyrouth (20A:4207); supported component of the 7-8 Inf XX 7 (Aus); regular moved to here]

Damas (20A:4505) [clear terrain dot city transportation line junction hex]:
vacant by the end of the M. Phase

Lattique (20A:3405) [clear terrain reference city/minor port road terminus coast hex]
2-8* Inf X 21 (Aus) [began turn at Tripoli (20A:4005); supported component of the 7-8 Inf XX 7 (Aus); regular moved to here]

Homs (20A:3902) [clear terrain reference city transportation line junction hex]:
hit marker on reference city airbase

Hama (20A:3702) [clear terrain reference city major rail line hex]:
hit marker on reference city airbase

Alep (21A:3231) [clear terrain partial city transportation line junction hex]:
2-8* Inf X 25 (Aus) [began turn here; supported component of the 7-8 Inf XX 7 (Aus); never moved]

On Cyprus [end of turn]:

Limassol (20A:3615) [clear terrain point city/standard port coast road hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip

Famagusta (20A:3411) [clear terrain point city/standard port coast road hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip

Non Phasing Axis Air Activity in the Allied Exploitation Phase:

At the very end of the naval movement step of the M. Phase the three Ger LW Ju 88A4  4B5  3-7/26 air units based at Bengasi (18A:3121) air transfer to Sirte (18A:1727), in Libya.

At the very end of the naval movement step of the M. Phase the Ger LW He 111H4  4B4  2-7/22 air unit based at Bengasi air transfers to Tripoli (18A:0121), in Libya.

Middle East (ME) Command Replacement Pool [{beginning of the turn}/end of turn]:

3-8 Inf X 5 (NZ) [moved from Balkan Command Replacement Pool]
{2-8 Inf X 16 (Aus) [moved from Balkan Command Replacement Pool; rebuilt at step 14 of the I. Phase and placed at Alexandria]}
3-2-10 Arm X 4 [in the WW 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario this unit is at-start in the ME Replacement Pool, per F. Watson’s ER-II Europa battle scenario, published in TEM#71]
3-2-10 Arm X 1 [moved from Balkan Command Replacement Pool; this is the original pre-conversion unit of the one sent to Greece]

Eliminated Air Units Box:
Blen 4  3B3  1-2/23 [in the Jun I 41 Allied C. Phase it participated in the first Allied attack in the Vichy French Levant, flying the GS air mission at 20A:4607; it was Killed in air combat there by the bypassing Vichy Fr D 520 F type air unit, flying the Interception air mission to the target hex]

Forming Box:
3-8* Mtn X 1 (Gk) [counted as part of the Palestine Garrison]
0-1-8 Inf II Gd (Yugo) [counted as part of the Palestine Garrison]
2-8* Inf X 2 FL (FF) [placed here at step 14 of the Aug I 41 Allied I. Phase after the Allied conquest of the Levant, per the WitD Allied French Conditional Reinforcements: Forces from the Levant, in the WitD Allied OB booklet, p. 6; this unit will be Full on the Apr II 42 Allied turn]
1-2-6 Inf X 3FL (FF) [placed here at step 14 of the Aug I 41 Allied I. Phase after the Allied conquest of the Levant, per the WitD Allied French Conditional Reinforcements: Forces from the Levant, in the WitD Allied OB booklet, p. 6; this unit will be Full on the May II 42 Allied turn]

The Allied Near East (NE) Command on the Sep I 41 Allied turn:

• Iraqi coup collapse occurred in the May II 41 Axis I. Phase, per the dice roll done then using the Variable Iraqi Coup Collapse Table. At that time all Iraqi forces/production were removed from the map and the Iraq Replacement Pool. By the end of the I. Phase all Iraqi territory was Allied owned; except in our case the Mosul hex, which at the time contained the Axis Conditional Reinforcement Ger LW Mxd A type air unit. Seeing that the Iraqi coup had indeed collapsed, the Axis Conditional Reinforcement promptly air transferred out of the Mosul hex later in the May II 41 Axis turn, and Mosul was captured by the Allies in the following Jun I 41 Allied turn.
• The current Allied Iraqi railnet-cap is 3 1/2.
• At step 14 of the Aug I 41 Allied I. Phase the Allied player transferred 10 Middle East Command SMPs to the Near East Command, per WW Rule 12H2b. They cannot be used there until the following Aug II 41 Allied turn, eg., this turn.
• At step 4 the Aug II 41 Axis I. Phase Iran surrendered to the Allies, per the Iranian Surrender Table.  All Iranian forces surrendered to the Allies and were removed from the map.

In pro-Allied Iraq [{beginning of turn}/end of turn]:

• Per the WW Game Play Chart 5–Allied Garrisons (Rule 37E), it appears the Allied player is fulfilling the garrison requirements this turn, for Iraq. This would be per the horizontal line reading: “EJIS [Jul II 41] – Sep I 41”. For a more detailed discussion of the Iraq garrison, see the Jul I 41 Allied game report.

21A:4721 [ravines hex]:
1-10 Mot Cav III AL (T-J) [Arab Legion; began turn at 21A:4821; regular moved to here; remained in the hex]

• This is a provisional new unit introduced in the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario on the May I 41 Allied turn. For more details, see that posted EA game report.

21A:4719 [stony desert pump station road hex]:
2-8 Inf X 9 (Ind) [began turn at H-3 Pump Station (21A:5125), in Iraq; regular moved to here]

21A:4921  [stony desert pump station road hex]:
2-8 Inf X 10 (Ind) [began turn at Rutbah (21A:5023); regular moved to here]

Rutbah (21A:5023) [stony desert point city road junction hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip
1-8 Inf II 11 (CS) [began turn at Ramadi (22A:2830); admin moved along the road to here]
Audax  1A1  1/8 [operative; began turn at Rutbah; in the Aug II 41 Axis E. Phase it flew a non-phasing air transfer air mission to here from Basra (22A:4313), in Iraq; never moved]

Ramadi (22A:2830) [clear terrain reference city road hex]:
1-8 Inf X 20 (Ind) [began turn at 21A:4208, in Iraq; admin moved along the transportation lines to here]

Habbaniya (22A:2828) [clear terrain point city road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
0-1-4 Static II 1 As (Col) [began turn here; never moved]

Baghdad 22A:2825 [clear terrain partial city transportation line junction hex]:
one hit marker on airbase
8* Inf XX HQ 10 (Ind) [began turn at Shahabad (32:2229), in Iran; admin moved along the transportation lines to here]
2-8 Inf X 25 (Ind) [began turn at 32:2131, in Iran; admin moved along the transportation lines to here]

22A:4021 [clear terrain secondary rail line hex, to Basra]:
8 Inf XX HQ 5 (Ind) [began turn at Habbaniya (22A:2828); admin moved along the transportation lines to here, crossing the demolished bridge hexside]

Shaibah (22A:4314) [clear terrain secondary rail line hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
0-1-4 Static II 2 As (Col) [began turn at Basra; moved one hex to here]

Basra (22A:4313) [clear terrain dot city/major port, w/ a major river hexside]:
Allied Supply Terminal marker
2-8 Inf X 19 (Ind) [began turn at Ahwaz (22A:3810), in Iran, assembled w/ the 6-8* Inf XX 8 (Ind); at the beginning of the M. Phase this inf XX broke down into its unsupported component parts; this component regular moved to Basra]
1-pt river flotilla AA=1 PAIC (RN) [turn reinforcement; sea moved to here; remained in the hex]
2 steps of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]
{two steps of attack supply [began turn here; in the naval movement step of the M. Phase they embarked on 6 E Med NTPs and at the end of the step entered the Aden off-map holding box, but did not disembark; in the naval movement step of the E. Phase they continued their voyage from there and eventually entered the Suez port (19A:3718), in Egypt, where they disembarked and ended their move]}

In Iran [end of turn]:

Kangavar 32:2023 [clear terrain point city road hex]:
2-8 Inf X 24 (Ind) [began turn at Shahabad (32:2229), in Iran; regular moved along the road to here]
2-8 Inf X 21 (Ind) [began turn at Karind (32:2130), in Iran; admin moved along the road to here]

22A:2217 [clear terrain major rail line hex]:
2-1-10* Lt Arm X 252 (Ind) [began turn at 22A:3709; in the M. Phase it regular moved northwards to 22A:3111, capturing reference city Dizful (22A:3311) and point city Andimeshk (22A:3211) along the way; in the E. Phase it exploited northwards along the major rail line to here, capturing reference city Iraq (22A:2318) along the way]

Ahwaz (22A:3810) [clear terrain reference city major rail line-road junction hex]:
{6-8* Inf XX 8 (Ind) [began turn here; at the beginning of the M. Phase it broke down into its component parts]}
8* Inf XX HQ 8 (Ind) [began turn at Ahwaz (22A:3810), in Iran, assembled w/ the 6-8* Inf XX 8 (Ind); at the beginning of the M. Phase this inf XX broke down into its unsupported component parts; the inf XX HQ component remained here]

22A:4205 [rough terrain hex]:
1-8 Inf X 17 (Ind) [began turn at Ahwaz (22A:3810), in Iran, assembled w/ the 6-8* Inf XX 8 (Ind); at the beginning of the M. Phase this inf XX broke down into its unsupported component parts; this component regular moved to here]

Bandar Shahpur (22A:4407) [clear terrain point city/standard port major rail line terminus island hex, w/ a causeway to the mainland]:
2-8 Inf X 18 (Ind) [began turn at Ahwaz (22A:3810), in Iran, assembled w/ the 6-8* Inf XX 8 (Ind); at the beginning of the M. Phase this inf XX broke down into its unsupported component parts; this component regular moved to here]

Turn Activity

The weather is clear this turn in the E, D, and C weather zones.  Technically speaking, part of the C weather zone is visible in northern Iran on map 32, as is also part of D weather zone,  but on map 32 both these weather zones are in the Soviet occupation zone and therefore are not a factor in the new Scenario.  On the WD map group of 18A and 19A, (and 20A) the rough terrain notch of the Cyrenaica is in weather zone E, as is part of the coastal littoral of Palestine, and all of the coastline of Lebanon and NW Syria.  In addition to these North African and West Asian mainland areas that are indicated on the WD map group, a number of Mediterranean islands are also in weather zone E, namely: Cyprus, Crete, the Dodecanese, Sicily, and Malta.  The weather is automatically clear in weather zones E and F (eg., the F weather zone prevailing in the Western Desert and Mesopotamian regions) on the Sep I & Sep II 41 game turns.  But beginning on the Oct I 41 game turn there is a 1 in 6 chance of Mud in weather zone E, if a 6 is rolled on the Weather die roll; and on the Oct II 41 game turn the odds go up to a 1 in 3 chance of Mud there, if a 5 or 6 is rolled.

At step 11 of the I. Phase the Allied ground and air units at the isolated Tobruch hex that began the turn at technically Red or Black U-4 essentially remain at this U-4 status, as per WW Optional Rule 12E, U-4 is in effect the most severe supply status for a unit. All ground units and the two air units beginning the turn at Tobruch are in special general supply at step 11 of the I. Phase due to the 16 gsp’s in the hex. Twelve of these gsp’s were generated from a step of attack supply present in the hex on the Aug II 41 Axis I. Phase. They will be removed from the maps at step 24 of the Sep I 41 Axis I. Phase, after the supply determination step for that turn.  The other 4 gsp’s at Tobruch were generated at Suez on the Aug II 41 Allied turn and will be removed from the maps at step 24 of the current Allied I. Phase.  At Malta, all of the 5 REs of Allied ground units beginning the turn there are definitely Red U-2, as no gsp’s were sea transported to there on the previous Aug I 41 Allied turn.

At step 14 of the I. Phase the Allied player rebuilds with stored Aus inf RPs the 2-8 Inf X 16 (Aus), removing it from the ME Replacement Pool and placing it on-map at Alexandria.  He would very much like to rebuild one of the two Br 3-2-10 arm Xs in the ME Replacement Pool, but has only 2.5 Br arm RPs, even after this turn’s 1 Br arm RP arrival, and so he must wait until the Oct II 41 turn to do this expensive arm replacement build.  In the meantime, due to the required big arm conversion done this turn, he has only one 3-2-10 arm X on the maps, and therefore cannot assemble for four turns the valuable Br 7-10* Arm XX 7, requiring two, and will have to do the best he can with what he’s got, which are two 6-4-6 Arm Xs, a single 3-2-10 arm X, the 2-1-10* Lt Arm X 9, and the two 1-10 Recon IIs.  It looks like he can get by this turn at the Egyptian desert shield front line, but things will get tricky there on the upcoming Sep II 41 turn, if he plans to continue to push forward the desert shield front line ahead of the Matruh-Tobruch railway construction stack containing the construction unit.  He would also like to build the Blen 4 B type air unit languishing in the Eliminated Air Units Box of the ME Replacement Pool, but feels he must wait, as the new air cycle’s ARPs just arrived this turn and he might ought to wait and see how many additional air unit losses he might suffer in the long interval until the next cycle, coming on the Nov I 41 Allied turn.

At step 14 the Allied player also activates the CG-2 (RN) naval unit, which is placed “at Gibraltar.”  Gibraltar admittedly does not have an off-map holding box in either of the standard WW ME or WD Scenarios, but there should be one, I think, because of the stipulations for Allied Middle East Command reinforcement Arrivals (both reinforcements and production) having the option to enter at the west edge of map 18A, in addition to the Red Sea SE edge of map 19A, per WW Rule 40A3.  If they are Returned by the Shipping Results Table after rolling a contact on the Naval Table upon entering the Cent Med sea zone on the west edge of map 18A, then they need a place to go in order to remain in the game, and that place would and should be Gibraltar.  Conversely, if Allied Middle East Command turn reinforcements are Returned by the Shipping Results Table upon entering the Central Med or Aegean Sea zones, they should “return” to either Alexandria or Suez (eg., an Allied standard supply terminal/major port), I think, instead of the obscure Egyptian Red Sea minor port of Port Safaga at hex 19A:4731.

Although I confess to currently being interested in having a Gibraltar off-map holding box, in order to more realistically reenact Allied sea transport from Gibraltar to Malta in WW ME & WD-based Scenarios, I will admit that some careful consideration ought to be given before the implementation of this wish.  For example, in a WW WitD Scenario, which is essentially what I’m talking about in effect reproducing with the off-map Gibraltar holding box, all sea transport from Gibraltar to Malta (eg., in either W Med or turn reinf NTPs, or atop a RN CG naval unit) routinely calls for Axis anti-shipping effects dice rolls upon entering the West Med sea zone from the Gibraltar hex, which normally would be done of the 0 column of the Naval Table, per WW Rule 31D3.  This is in addition to the routine Cent Med sea zone dice roll on the Naval Table for Axis anti-shipping effects there.  In the WW 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario game reports I have utilized as a basis for all the Allied naval movement onto the west edge of map 18A the Gibraltar Convoys stipulation of WW Rule 41B1-Western Desert Campaign, which is found at p. 4 of the WW Scenarios & Appendices booklet; and the Gibraltar Convoys proviso apparently turns a blind eye to the Axis anti-shipping effects in the West Med sea zone.  To refresh memories, in the new Scenario I have jacked up the Allied gsp availability at Gibraltar to 4, from the rules as written provision for 2, because it appears to me that would be the number of Gibraltar supply terminal gsp’s readily available to the Allied player for many turns in a WW WitD Campaign game.  For the EA hard core who may want to know additional related detail, I currently think that in standard WW ME & WD Scenarios utilizing the proposed off-map Gibraltar holding box, the Allied player might ought to be prohibited from access to W Med NTPs beginning on the Nov I 42 turn, and from then on to the Jan II 43 end turn of either of those two Scenarios, due to the Torch campaign then occurring in the off-map Atlantic and W Med sea zones, which sucks up many of the W Med NTPs.  Of course comments are quite welcome from those players who might have something to say about any of the aspects of the issue.

At step 16 of the I. Phase the Allied player generates 4 new gsp’s at both the Suez and Alexandria Allied Standard Supply terminals.

At step 22 of the I. Phase the Axis player flies the Ger LW Ju 87B  2D3  4-1/9 air unit based at 18A:4718, SW of Tobruch, on the Harassment air mission to hex 18A:5020.  From the same 3-cap temporary airfield adjacent to Tobruch the Axis player assigns to the Naval Patrol air mission the other Ger LW Ju87B D type air unit and the It SM 79-2  2B3  3-2/V/20 air units.  The fact that the Axis has to fly Harassment this turn for the first time is an indication of both the growing strength and closer proximity of the Allied 8th Army in west-central Egypt to the Tobruch war zone.

At step 24 of the I. Phase the Allied player removes from the maps the 4 gsp’s at Egyptian Western Desert hex 19A:0919 that were generated at Alexandria on the Aug II 41 Allied turn.  He also removes the 4 gsp’s at Tobruch that were generated at Suez on the Aug II 41 Allied turn.

In the naval movement step of the M. Phase the Allied player does a series of naval transport activities in the East and Central Mediterranean sea zones.  This turn he will very likely be compelled to attempt to sea transport to Tobruch one of his turn reinforcement steps of attack supply.  Some of the subsequent naval actions done this turn are listed below in sequential order. Those numbered that are indicated by a # are indicated as such in the naval movement step action activities picture included below in the game report. This turn the Allied player has his full complement of 10 E Med NTPs available for his sea transport demands, and also his one available W Med NTP and the activated RN CG-2 naval unit, both beginning at Gibraltar.

The first naval transport of the Allied naval movement step are 4 fresh gsp’s generated this turn at off-map Gibraltar and embarked on the Allied player’s single available W Med NTP.  The naval group enters the west edge of map 18A at all-sea hex 0107.  This turn, after two unsuccessful previous turns, the Allied player finally gets it down right and rolls a No Contact on the Naval Table, using the 9 column, and so the 4 gsp’s from Gibraltar arrive safely at the Valletta hex.  In this same Allied naval group are also one of the turn ARPs embarked in a turn reinf NTP and the RN CG-2, carrying another turn ARP.  When both these naval transports enter map 18A at all-sea hex 0107 in the daylight, they too roll for Allied anti-shipping effects on the Naval Table and come up with No Contact results.  Immediately after this the CG-2 naval unit flies the reinf ARP from its flight decks to the Valletta airfield/limited supply terminal hex, where it is stored; and then the RN CG-2 naval unit turns around and exits the west edge of the map.  The turn reinf NTP with the other reinforcement ARP continues it voyage to the Valletta port, along with the W Med NTP carrying the 4 gsp’s from Gibraltar, and both cargoes are finally disembarked there.

#1.  On the WD map group (eg., specifically maps 18A & 19A, but in our case including map 20A), the first naval movement the Allied player does is embark the 2-8* Inf X 20 (Aus) unit, beginning the turn at Tobruch (18A:4817), on an E Med NTP, which exits the harbor at night to all-sea hex 18A:4917.  At this time the Allied player rolls on the 9 column of the Naval Table for Axis anti-shipping effects, but is lucky and rolls a no contact.  After doing this, the cargo naval group continues moving eastwards at night in all-sea hexes just north of the North African coastline until it enters all-sea hex 19A:0917, which must be its first daylight hex of the voyage.  At this point the Axis player declines to attempt a die roll on the Success Table for Naval Patrol contact.  Any Axis air units flying the Naval Patrol air mission to the all-sea target hex would do so without fighter escort, and there are three good Allied fighter units in interception range based at Matruh, 4 hexes away.  And so the Allied naval group continues its voyage eastwards, and the E Med NTP carrying the Aus 2-8* inf X finally enters the Alexandria port hex, where it disembarks its cargo.  Although the ground unit is technically Red U-4 this turn, it is in special general supply via the gsp’s present in the Tobruch hex in the I. Phase.

Right after this the Allied player ups the ante in the Mediterranean aero-naval warfare by flying the Br Hurri 1 F type air unit based at Matruh on the CAP air mission over the all-sea hex at 19A:0717, N of Sidi Barrani, likely preparing for one of the turn’s big naval transport operations.

#2.  The Allied player then embarks the Br 2-8 Inf X 14 unit, beginning the turn at Matruh (19A:1218), on an E Med NTP and voyages westwards in daylight, first along the Allied-controlled coastline for three hexes, but then it dog-legs NW to all-sea hex 19A:0817, in order to avoid entering the Axis-controlled Sidi Barrani coast hex at 19A:0718.  It then enters all-sea hex 19A:0717, just north of Sidi Barrani, still in daylight, where the Br Hurri 1 air unit is flying the CAP air mission.  Both players know that the next all-sea hex to the west, which would be 19A:0617, will the the first nighttime hex in the final night leg of the voyage to Tobruch, but once again the Axis player declines to attempt a Sea Patrol contact die roll on the Success Table, thinking there are better ways to fight the war than instigating a bloody aero-naval battle in the said target hex at this time.  Upon entering the Cent Med sea zone at map 18A the Allied player must roll for Axis anti-shipping effects on the Naval Table, and this time he rolls a Contact, but is relieved when afterwards he rolls a NE (No Effect) on the Shipping Results Table.  And so the E Med carrying the 2-8 Inf X 14 enters the Tobruch port and disembarks its cargo.

#3.  Then the Allied player sends one of the turn reinforcement steps of attack supply towards Tobruch in 3 turn reinforcement NTPs.  The cargo naval group begins its voyage on the SE edge of map 19A in the Red Sea, at hex 5125, where it was placed at step 14 of the I. Phase.  After passing through the Suez Canal it makes its way westwards along the Egyptian coastline, plus a few all-sea hexes just north of the coastline, until it too, dog-legs NW to all-sea hex 19A:0717, just north of Sidi Barrani and still in daylight.  And when it enters all-sea hex 19A:0717, just north of Side Barrani, the Axis player again declines to attempt any Sea Patrol contact die rolls, saving his air units to fight another day in another air battle.  When the cargo naval group carrying the step of attack supply reaches the Cent Med sea zone the Allied player must again roll on the Naval Table for Axis anti-shipping effects, but is lucky this time with a no contact result; and so the naval group successfully arrives at Tobruch.  Note that in most circumstances any contact dice roll for the naval transport of supply cargo (i.e., gsp’s or steps of attack supply) on the Naval Table normally means that it is sunk per the subsequent Shipping Results Table die roll.

#4.  After this, the Allied player sea transports the turn reinf Br 0-8 Lt AA II AA=1 27 unit to Alexandria, in a turn reinf NTP.  This is normally a safe voyage route, as it is basically too far for any practical Axis Sea Patrol contact at extended range, and there are two operative fighter units based at Alexandria, including the recently arrived long range P-40C  5F5  1/13 air unit.

#5.  Next, the Allied player sea transports to Alexandria in a large bulk convoy the rest of his turn reinforcement production items, all embarked in turn reinf NTPs, which would be the turn reinforcement armor and infantry Replacement Points, and 3 of the Arriving turn reinforcement ARPs.  The other two turn reinforcement Arrival ARPs opted to enter the maps at the west edge of map 18A, on their voyage to Malta.

#6.  Then the Allied player sea transports the 5 pos flk unit (AA=1), beginning the turn at Port Said (19A:3413), in Egypt, to Matruh, in an E Med NTP.  The cargo naval group approaches Matruh from the NE, using night movement for the last 8 all-sea and single coast hex (eg., the Matruh port hex) of the voyage, and disembarks its cargo at the Egyptian port.  The Axis makes no attempt of a Naval Patrol contact.

#7  Finally, the Allied player sea transports his two remaining reinforcement steps of attack supply, embarked in 6 turn reinforcement NTPs, to the Egyptian standard port of Ismailia (19A:3516), in Egypt.  Normally he would sea transport them to Alexandria, or to Suez as an alternate.  But Alexandria is a major port with a capacity of 12 REs, and has already handled 6.5 REs of cargo capacity.  If he voyages to there with the two steps of attack supply he will be a half RE over its RE capacity.  Of course there are a variety of ways he could shuffle his naval transport itinerary to make things fit, but he opts to do the sea transporting this way, as in any event the steps of attack supply need to be railed to other destinations as soon as possible, upon their disembarkation in Egypt.

Meanwhile, back at Basra, in Iraq, two steps of attack supply are embarked on 6 E Med NTPs and begin a long voyage to Suez.  At the end of the naval movement step of the M. Phase the cargo naval group from Basra enters the Aden off-map holding box, but does not disembark its cargo there.  Instead, the cargo naval group waits until the naval movement step of the E. Phase, at which point it continues its voyage from Aden to the Mid East and eventually enters the Suez port (19A:3718), in Egypt, where the the two steps of attack supply finally disembark, ending their move.

It needs to be pointed out that these two steps of attack supply from Basra are in effect, new and additional steps of attack supply introduced into the WW ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario via F. Watson’s “Iraq: Rashid Ali and the Golden Square” Europa battle scenario, published in TEM#81, in 2001.  By “new and additional” I mean that they are not found anywhere in the WitD Allied OB booklet, which is the OB basis for the standard WW Western Desert and Middle East Campaign Scenarios.  These two new and additional NE/ME Command steps of attack supply in effect come in specifically at F. Watson’s Jun II 41 Allied [Regular] Reinforcements and Replacements Allied OB listing for his “Iraq” Europa battle scenario, found at p. 24 of TEM#81.  The two steps of attack supply indicated at the May I 41 Allied Reinforcements and Replacements listing of Watson’s “Iraq” Europa battle scenario are certainly the same as the Coup Turn 3/[the historical May I 41 turn] Allied Conditional Reinforcements: Iraqi Coup Reaction Forces, found at p. 5 of the WitD Allied OB booklet, and so concur with the standard WW Allied OB, I believe.

And so here I serve notice of perhaps the biggest OB change found in the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario than what is used in standard WW desert scenarios, excepting only the provisional addition of the new 1-10 Mot Cav III AL [Arab Legion] (Trans-Jordan) unit.  In bringing in these two new and additional steps of attack supply I am certainly implying that I think they are needed in any vibrant and well-played Europa wargame where there may be extended and protracted Iraq and Vichy French Levant campaigns, along with the usual heavy demands of the siege of Tobruch and the Allied Western Desert desert shield.  Comments from any Europa players who may have something to say about this are certainly welcome, and needed for the proper completion of either the WW 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario, or any future good revision of the standard WW or WitD games, I think.  One test might be to compare the number of steps of attack supply in the Western Desert region of the current wargame on the Nov I 41 game turn with what is indicated in the Nov I 41 at-start Allied OB of either of the Operation Crusader Europa battle Scenarios found in TEM #36 or #55.  What do you think about all the above?

Allied E Med NTP naval transport activity on their Sep I 41 turn:

• 2-8 Inf X 14; from Matruh to Tobruch, in 1 E Med NTP
• 2-8* Inf X 20 (Aus), from Tobruch to Alexandria, in 1 E Med NTP
• 5 pos flk AA=1 unit; from Port Said to Matruh, in 1 E Med NTP
• 2 steps of attack supply, from Basra to Alexandria, in 6 E Med NTPs.

This turn the Allied player has an E Med NTP lift capability of 10 REs.

Allied rail movement in the Middle East rail net on their Sep I 41 turn:

• one step of attack supply, which entrained at Nazareth secondary rail line hex 20A:4809, in Palestine, for a total of 6 REs of railcap.
• 4 gsp’s, began rail movement from Alexandria, for a total of 1 RE of railcap.
• two steps of attack supply, beginning the rail movement from the Ismailia major rail line hex (19A:3516), in Egypt, for a total of 6 REs of railcap.
• 1-8 MG II 2 Ch, beginning the rail movement at Haifa (20AS:4710), in Palestine, for a total of 1 RE of railcap.

The Allies’ per turn Middle East railnet railcap is 16 REs.

In the M. Phase the Allied player moves forward the Matruh-Tobruch railhead marker from 19A:1119, SW of Matruh, to adjacent hex 19A:1019, and the 0-1-4 Cons X 43 RPC (Col) that extended it voluntarily automatically advances into the next hex intended for the railway construction, which would be hex 19A:0919.

The Aus 2-8 Eng X 1 spends 4 MPs at major rail line coast hex 19A:1319, SE of Matruh, finishing the 1-cap temporary airfield that it had begun on the previous Aug II 41 turn and adding an additional capacity, before moving 4 road hexes west along the coast road.  Then the turn reinf 0-1-4 Cons X  61 RPC (Col), beginning the turn at step 14 of the I. Phase at adjacent Matruh, moves one hex to 1319 and expends 2 MPs in hex 1319 to add the 3rd and final capacity level to the temporary airfield there.

In the E. Phase the Allied player sends the two Well 12C  3NB4  1-6/28 air units based at 19A:1418 on a night Port strat Bombing air mission to the Derna hex (18A:4116), in Libya. Both NB type air units make it past Derna’s 2 factor flack shot, but miss when rolling on the 5 column of the Bombing Table, with a -1 for bombing at night.  He also does a series of air unit transfers in Egypt late in the E. Phase, in preparation of the upcoming Axis turn and also as a consequence of the gradual westward advance of the Allied front line position the past several turns in west-central Egypt, requiring a repositioning of the air units in the zone.

At the start of their turn the Allies had the following inventory of accumulated Replacement Points (RPs) in the ME Command: 9.5 Br inf, 1.5 Br arm, 2.5 Aus inf, 2 NZ inf, 2 Ind inf, and 1 Allied ARP.  At step 14 of the I. Phase of this turn 2 Aus inf RPs were spent to rebuild the 2-8 Inf X 16 (Aus), which was placed at Alexandria.  In the naval movement step of the M. Phase additional turn reinforcement RPs were disembarked and stored at the Alexandria standard supply terminal.  At the end of the Allied turn the Allies had the following RP inventory in his ME Command: 11.5 Br inf, 2.5 Br arm, 1.5 Aus inf, 2.5 NZ inf, 3 Inf inf, and 6 Allied ARPs, all of which were stored in Alexandria.  The Allied player was able to add 1 ARP to his new tally, carried over from the old air cycle.  Two of his reinf ARPs were successfully delivered to Malta, in the Malta Command, where they are stored at the Valletta limited supply terminal.  Beginning this turn, the Allied player may spend up to 3 ARPs in the ME Command per turn, per WW Advanced Rule 25C6.

Commentary

Overall, the Allied player is happy with how things are progressing at this stage of the wargame.  However, he feels that it’s not entirely due to his handling of the 8th Army, but rather that the hand of Fate has intervened three times in the game, and made absolutely sure that for now at least the Axis will not take Tobruch, when it could have been otherwise.  Putting it another way, assuming all things being “normal,” (eg., a given series of wargames played along the lines of this game) then half of those Western Desert wargames played should, by typical chance odds, result in the Allies still possessing Tobruch beginning on this Sep I 41 turn, and in the other half of the “given” wargames the Axis would have captured it by now, after a big battle die roll.  Standing next to the gameboard table, that is my current estimate of the habit of chance interfacing in a given “series” of Western Desert wargame plays.  But of course in real life the WWII campaign happened only once, with a kind of series repeats perhaps occurring only in retirement, or in prison, or perhaps fleetingly atop the gallows scaffold.  And so in wargame design we might ought to watch what we wish for, and be thankful when the mysterious die/dice rolls roll like how we think they ought, and not curse them when they spite us, as we conveniently forget the fact that although we labor hard to design the authenticity, accuracy, and realness in our cardboard campaigns, we nevertheless always fall back on the wayward dice to confirm the work.