Jun II 41 Axis Turn

Jun II 41 Axis Turn

• For the fifth time in the special ME/“Iraq Campaign” Scenario demonstration, the Allied player in the Axis initial phase prior to the reinforcements segment checks for an Iraqi Coup Collapse by a dice roll using the Variable Iraqi Coup Collapse Table to determine results. There’s a +1 Modifier for the Allied-owned dot city of Basra; there’s another +1 for the Allied-owned dot city of Mosul; and there is a final +1 Modifier “if a rail connection (per Rule 7A1) cannot be traced from an Axis-owned Baghdad to an Axis-owned dot city in Iraq.” But this Axis initial phase there is no -1 “if an Axis air unit is in Iraq;” for now there are none in Iraq. This tallies to a +3 dice Roll Modifier on the Table. And the dice roll is 8, which is factored to 11: No Collapse.

• The Syrian campaign continues, tying down Allied forces that could be used in the Iraq campaign or in the Western Desert against the Afrika Korps. Because there are presently no Allied c/m units participating in their invasion of Vichy Levant, most all the ground unit activity in the Syrian campaign is occurring in the narrow portion of the French Levant found on the exposed portion of map 20A and south of the northern border line of Lebanon. Hence large swaths of northern French Levant on map 20A and probably all of Syria found on map 21A will likely remain essentially Vichy territory until the end of July. Note that per Rule 38V3-The Levant, and Rule 38A5-Surrender, and Optional Rule 38V3F-Variable Levant Surrender to the Allies, even after the surrender of the Vichy French forces in the Levant, apparently the remaining Vichy Levant-owned hexes remain hostile until captured by the Allies per Rule 5B-Ownership and Advanced Rule 5B3-Ownership of Cities, Ports, and Airbases. This might buy the Axis Intervention in Iraq Conditional Reinforcements an extra turn—to escape from the Near East

Allied dispositions:

In Iraq:

In the Northern Iraq region [the Allied unit here is in general supply via road element]:

Erbil (21A:3605):

1 x 2-1-10* Mot Inf X Hab

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

Rutbah (21A:5023):

1-cap permanent airstrip [Allied owned]

Habbaniya (22A:2828):

3-cap permanent airfield

1 x 1-8 Inf X 17 (Ind)

1 x Glad 3F3 0/8 [operative]

1 x Audax 1A1 1/8 [operative]

1 x Bombay 1T2 1-2/15 [operative]

Hindiya (22A:3025) [point city canal intensive secondary rail line hex]:

1 x 2-8 Inf X 25 (Ind)

one step of attack supply

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

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

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

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

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

1 x 8* Inf XX HQ 10 (Ind)

1 x 1-8 Inf X 20 (Ind)

22A:2725 [canal intensive secondary rail line hex E of the Tigris River, NE of Baghdad]:

1 x 2-8 Inf X 24 (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 [all Allied forces here are in general supply]:

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]

In Palestine:

Haifa (20A:4710) [dot city/major port]:

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

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 6/Jun II 41 Axis turn

German:

Convert: 1 x Mxd 2A3 1-1/16 to:

1 x Me 110C 5HF5 1/12

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

3-cap permanent airfield

1 x Ju 52 1T2 0/20 (LW)

1 x Me 110C 5HF5 1/12 (LW)

• In the Axis initial phase ehe LW Mxd 2A3 1-1/16 air unit does the conversion here. Note that per WW Rule 40A1-[Reinforcements] Concepts, at the Convert bullet, it says “to be converted the unit must trace a supply line to a regular general supply source (Rule 12C)….” Rule 25D-[Air Unit] Conversions, says “the air unit must be at an unisolated airbase….” Rule 3F-Isolation, says, “a unit is isolated if the owning player cannot trace a LOC from the unit to a hex from which a supply (Rule 12B) can be traced to a regular general supply source….” To me right now all this means that in WW ME Campaign Scenario games, the LW Mxd 2A3 type air unit can only do this conversion at an Axis airfield on either the South Aegean island of Rodi or Crete after the Jun I 41 game turn, and cannot do the conversion in the field at an “isolated” Iraqi airbase, where the LW Mxd 2A3 air unit would be getting at best special general supply from an overland trace to the air transported Axis gsp’s. Note also that the LW Me 110C HF type is one of the older, or archaic, C type Me 110s, and not one of the newer Me 110D HF types now common in the Western Desert region in the summer of 1941. More later on this point regarding the Axis Intervention in Iraq concept in WW.

4 gsp’s generated in the Jun II 41 Axis initial phase. See Rule 12C2a.

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

Alep (21A:3231) [partial city hex]:

3-cap temporary airfield [begun on Jun I, enlarged this turn]

1 x 0-1-5 Cons X Lev (Col) [Vichy French unit]

1 x Me 110C 5HF5 1/12 (LW)

• The LW Me 110C HF type air unit does a transfer mission to here in the exploitation phase. By my hex count it could not quite make it to the still Vichy Levant controlled Deir el Zoir reference city hex (21A:3922) in eastern Syria; so it bases here in Vichy Levant.

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

1 x Ju 52 1T2 0/20 (LW)

2 Axis gsp’s, transported to here by the LW Ju 52 air unit

• The LW Ju 52 T type air unit does a 1-way regular transport mission at extended range (Rule 23B-Extended Range) in the exploitation phase to this remote and desolate eastern Vichy Syrian airbase. It does not have the range to finish its air transport mission at any remaining friendly airbases in Iraq using doing the 1-way regular transport mission at extended range air transport mission, but it bases farther eastwards than the LW Me 110C air unit, hoping thereby to enhance its air op alternatives next turn.

In Iraq:

In the Central Iraq region [end of turn]:

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 x Mxd 1A2 1/8 [never moved]

21A:4803 [canal intensive secondary railway hex; end of turn]:

1 x 1-6* Inf XX 1 [regular moved one hex from Baqubah (21A:4803)]

• Becomes Black U-2 this turn; still out of supply from either Baghdad or Axis gsp’s.

Allied air unit activity in the Near East late in the Axis exploitation phase:

In Palestine:

Tel Aviv (21A:5011):

1-cap permanent airstrip

1 x Bombay 1T2 1-2/15 [inoperative]

• Late in the exploitation phase the Allied player does a non-phasing air transfer of the Bombay T type air unit from the Habbaniya airfield (22A:2828) to here. From Tel Aviv next turn it is close enough for either GS in the Syrian campaign or (via staging) various air transport air ops in the Western Desert map group. Note that it withdraws next turn per both Watson’s “Iraq” Europa battle scenario and the WitD Allied OB’s Iraqi Coup Reaction Forces, on p. 5. However, in the WW ME Campaign Scenario, on which the special ME/“Iraq Campaign” Scenario demonstration is based, the Bombay air unit’s withdrawal is certainly not mandatory according to Rule 3E4-Player Control of Commands in general and at Rule 25G-[Air Unit] Transfers specifically. But this Europa wargamer thinks that given the ME Campaign Scenario action certainly taking place either in the Western Desert or in the Syrian campaign, the Bombay air unit withdrawal done now makes the cropped ME/“Iraq Campaign” more realistic. Doing the Bombay withdrawal from the Iraq campaign region this turn enables it to be in position for an immediate air op in either region the upcoming Jul I 41 Allied turn. The choice of Tel Aviv in the EA game report is essentially “generic” for our purposes here; in an actual WW ME Campaign Scenario the Allied player would know exactly where he wanted the Bombay air unit to transfer to.

Commentary: Should the Iraq 1-0-8 Lt Arm X 1 attempt a breakout from Baghdad now and run amok? The solitary Iraq c/m X sits tight at Baghdad, keeping it available at the capital. The Iraqi Mxd 1A2 type air unit is still on-map, stacked with the c/m X and a corps of Iraqi infantry XXs; the Coup citadel bristles with arms.