Weather roll: 4 = mud in zones C & D, clear in zone E. Atlantic is calm with a 2, Med is calm with a 4

Axis Player Turn

Once again Allied unitd in 26:2020 go U-1 due to mud shortening their supply lines. Elba is U-3, but has supply points to cover the ground and air units there. Germany spends 7 Inf replacements to rebuild a 5-7-6 Inf and 7-8 Mtn division from cadres. 3x forts are completed and 2 more begun, all in Italy.

Toscana and Liguria garrisons are activated (3x 2-3-4* Static [XX]) due to Allied units on Elba. Germany shuffles a few uhnits along the Gustav line and sends two divisions from Italy to France. This just about evens the game deployment with the Apr I 44 OB book, though South is a bit stronger in non-divisional units and has no cadred divisions or Anzio beach head to worry about. Some anti-ship air units are sent to France where they have a tough time finding space at airbases within reach of the coast but fr enough from Allied air bases to be safe.

VP Count:

Allies hold 5 naval bases, 5 dot and 2 major cities for +16 VPs. There are no net losses (with possible exception of 8 points of Italians in the replacement box). So, add 16 to the existing total of 34 and we get 50 VPs (or 34+8=42 if you count the dead Italians).

Allied Player Turn:

Partisans manage 1 hit, taking out the RSI G.55. RM TF again sweeps mines off Northern Italy (at 26:0130) with no losses. All excpept 3 Allied LC, 12x NT, a US 12-pt TF, and an Infantry Corps sail to the ETO. Air units put another 20 rail hits on Axis nets. Otherwise a slow turn.

Commentary:

The Allies now have the bulk of their naval assets in England, along with plenty of air and several broken down divisions. The Axis rail situation is pitiful, the Allies don’t really need to worry about hitting rail cap in France. Airfields in France near the front are not sufficient to deploy anti-ship air units.

The difference between what is shown on my maps and what you get from the 1944 scenarios is striking. The rail nets in France, Belgium, Holland, NE Germany and Italy are pockmarked with well over 100 hits. German Engineers have managed to keep the rail line running north of the Swiss border and 1-2 Rhine crossing open, but they don’t lead anywhere near the coast. Rail links between France and Italy haven’t existed for several turns and the Axis has given up trying to repair them. Every rail line out of Italy is blocked by multiple breaks.

The replacement and VP situations are equally in the Allies favor. Before any Apr I 44 production is added the US has 102.8 Inf, 67 Armor and 69 ARPs. The British have 50 Infantry, 17 Armor and 63 ARPs France has a total of 13.2 Inf, 7 Armor and 7 ARPs. Other allies have the following Infantry replacements: Canada 11.5, Poland 4, NZ 1.5 and India 3. There are 25 NRPs and 63.67 Resource points in the bank, with a debt of 2 NRPs that have yet to be paid for hits on a RM TF. Compare this to the Apr I 1944 initial conditions of US: 12 Inf, 17 Arm, 37 ARPs; British 6 Inf, 5 Arm, 30 ARPs; French 3 Inf; Canada 3.5, Poland 4, NZ 4.5, India 3; 170 resource points (Allied Rail cap and air bases accounts for some, but not all of this difference), and ZERO NRPs. VPs for the 44 campaign are a measly +8 VPs verses 50. Somehow the Allies must’ve lost 42 VPs, seesh!

The Germans have also taken less losses, and have accumulated 35.1 Inf, 28 Armor .5 NRP, 46 ARPs and 65 Resource Points. There are no German cadres, and a single point of positional AA is the only unit in the replacement pool. Per the OB book they should have 9 German Inf, 15 German Armor, 2.75 RSI Infantry replacements, 22 German ARPs, and 118 Resource points.

Victory points and field position are what counts. The Allies hold everything they did for the April I 44 start except the Anzio death trap, er, beach head, plus Belle and Yeu. They have 42 extra VPs, a heck of a lot of replacements, 16 REs of rail cap in Italy and many augmented airbases near the front that SF rules doesn’t let them build. The 25 NRPs are particularly important because that allows them to take risks and build up the two Italian TF if they desire. Anzio is a mistake waiting to prove itself, too many negative VPs for the Germans to ignore. The fact that the Germans are also better off is of some compensation, but not a lot. If the weather turns good in France it is unlikely that the Allies will have to wait until June I to land.