• The Allied player rolls a 5 on the dice roll using the Variable Iraqi Coup Collapse Table to check for an Iraqi Coup Collapse. For Modifiers the Allies have a +1 for the Allied-owned dot city of Basra, another +1 for the Allied-owned dot city of Mosul, a final +1 “if a rail connection (per Rule 7A1) cannot be traced from an Axis-owned Baghdad to an Axis-owned dot city in Iraq.” Finally, they take a -1 hit “if an Axis air unit is in Iraq,” which is the case in this initial phase. And so the Allied player does not get the 14 needed for Coup Collapse.

  • Using the 1 ARP stored in the Baghdad hex, the Axis player rebuilds the aborted Iraqi Mxd A type air unit in the initial phase and places it in the Baghdad hex, along with the recently arrived LW Me 110C HF type air unit based there. Since the July I turn is an air cycle month, it appears Coup Iraq receives another ARP in this initial phase per the Iraq GE Neutral Nations OB found in the WitD Neutral Nations OB booklet. The new ARP is stored at the Baghdad hex.

  • The Syrian campaign continues, the Allied dice roll using the Variable Levant Surrender Table not resulting in a Surrender. Still, all the Allied ground unit activity in the Syrian campaign is localized to that portion of the French Levant on the exposed part of map 20A that is south of the northern border line of Lebanon.

Allied dispositions:

In Palestine:

Haifa (20A:4710) [dot city/major port; end of turn]:

1 x Well 1C 4NB3 2-6/28 [remains here for DAS in the Syrian campaign, if necessary]

In Iraq:

In the Central Iraq region [all Allied forces in general supply]:

Rutbah (21A:5023):

1-cap permanent airstrip [Allied controlled]

Habbaniya (22A:2828):

3-cap permanent airfield

1 x 0-1-4 Static II 1 As (Col)

1 x Audax 1A1 1/8 [operative]

1 x P 40C 5F5 1/13(SAAF) [operative]

1 x Hurri 1 5F5 1/8 [operative]

21A:4504 [clear terrain hex 5 hexes NNE of Baghdad]:

1 x 2-1-10* Mot Inf X Hab [in general supply]

22A:2725 [canal intensive secondary rail line hex; NE of Baghdad]:

1 x 8* Inf XX HQ 10 (Ind)

1 x 2-8 Inf X 24 (Ind)

1 x 1-8 Inf X 20 (Ind)

22A:2726 [clear terrain hex NW of Baghdad]:

1 x 2-8 Inf X 25 (Ind)

22A:2826 [clear terrain major rail/road junction hex W of Baghdad]:

1 x 0-1-4 Static II 2 As (Col)

one step of attack supply

22A:2926 [canal intensive major rail/secondary rail nexus hex SW of Baghdad]:

1 x 1-8 Inf X 17 (Ind)

22A:2925 [canal intensive hex E of the Tigris River; SE of Baghdad]:

1x 2-1-10* Lt Arm X 252 (Ind)

22A:2824 [clear terrain secondary rail line hex E of Baghdad]:

1 x 2-8 Inf X 21 (Ind)

In the Southern Iraq region:

Basra (22A:4313) [dot city/major port]:

Allied standard Supply Terminal marker

three steps of attack supply

Shaibah (22A:4314)

3-cap permanent airfield [Allied controlled]

Axis Intervention in Iraq forces on the South Aegean island of Rodi at the end of the Axis initial phase:

Axis Conditional Reinforcements

Axis Intervention in Iraq [Optional Rule 38J6]

Coup Turn 7/Jul I 41 Axis Turn

German:

Med/NA:

Place at any airbase on the island of Rodi:

1 x He111H4 4B4 2-7/22 (LW)

Rodi (20A:2230) [point city/standard port; end of initial phase]:

3-cap permanent airfield

1 x He 111H4 4B4 2-7/22 (LW)

Iraqi forces and Axis/German forces on the NE map group movement and end of turn dispositions:

Vichy Levant [end of the initial phase]:

Deir el Zoir (21A:3922) [reference city]:

1 x Ju 52 1T2 0/20 (LW) [technically at Red U-1, but in supply via the gsp’s]

2 gsp’s; generated at Rodi (20A:2230) on the Jun II 41 initial phase; removed at end of this initial phase.

  • The LW Ju 52 air unit does an air transfer mission back to the Rodi airfield hex (20A:2230). The fall of Mosul on the Jun II 41 Allied turn apparently makes futile any further efforts of the hard-working LW Ju 52 T type air unit to keep the Axis Intervention in Iraq forces in supply with gsp’s. Obviously, a stop-over in the Vichy Levant is required now , and by the following Axis turn it’s too late; the gsp’s shelf life expires (see Rule 12C4-GSPs) in the Axis initial phase while it’s still in the Vichy Levant, enroute to Iraq.. The alternative to the done air mission with the gsp cargo would have been a one-way regular air transport mission of the Ger 2-8 Inf III SV 288, first to Deir el Zoir, then the next (current) Axis turn to Baghdad, at Red U-1. What do you think?

In Iraq:

In the Central Iraq region:

Baghdad (22A:2825):

Iraq capital marker

1 x 1-2-6 Inf XX 3 [never moved]

1 x 1-6* Inf XX 2 [never moved]

1 x 0-1-6* Inf XX 4 [never moved]

1 x 1-0-8 Lt Arm X 1 [never moved]

1 hit on the airbase

1 x Mxd 1A2 1/8 [Axis player spends 1 ARP to place back on-map]

1 x Me 110C 5HF5 1/12 (LW) [determined Red U-1 in Axis initial phase]

21A:4803 [canal intensive secondary rail hex, end of turn]:

1 x 1-6* Inf XX 1 [never moved]

  • Becomes Black U-3 this turn.

In the Northern Iraq region:

Sulaimaniya (32:1532) [reference city]:

1 x He 111H4 4B4 2-7/22 (LW) [in exploitation phase air transfers to here from the Rodi airfield]

Axis Intervention in Iraq forces on the South Aegean island of Rodi at the end of the Axis turn:

Rodi (20A:2230) [point city/standard port]

3-cap permanent airfield

1 x Ju 52 1T1 0/20 (LW) [inoperative; air transferred to here from Deir el Zoir (21A:3922)]

Allied air activity at the end of the Axis exploitation phase:

In Central Iraq region [end of exploitation phase]:

Ramadi (22A:2830) [reference city]:

1 x P 40C 5F5 1/13 (SAAF) [air transferred from the Habbaniya airfield (22A:2828)]

Habbaniya (22A:2828)

3-cap permanent airfield

1 x 0-1-4 Static II 1 As (Col)

1 x Hurri 1 5F5 1/8 [operative; never moved]

1 x Audax 1A1 1/8 [operative; never moved]

1 x Glad 3F3 0/8 [air transferred to here, from Egypt]

Commentary: Like a hurricane’s vast spin, the impending battle for Baghdad draws more forces into its swirling vortex. The Allied player air transfers to the Habbaniya airfield the ME Command’s Glad F type air unit, formerly based at Alexanrdria (20A:4930), in an effort to gain air superiority over the Baghdad hex in the impending battle for the partial city hex.