Allied Turn

On a roll of ‘1’ winter continues in zone D, but clear weather breaks out in zone E, and calm seas prevail across the Mediterranean.   The supported components of the British 4th Mixed XX appear just north of Mallorca.   After 2 sea boxes in daylight and then 2 sea boxes at night, the convoy finds itself in hex 17A:4916 at dawn.   From 12 hexes away the naval patrol stack at Toulouse fails to make contact.   From 17 hexes away the naval patrol stack at Sassari fails to make contact.   The Italian naval patrol stack at Genova declines to make an attempt, air losses in Italy counting towards Italian surrender conditions.

In Libya 3x Arm XX’s, 8x Inf XX’s, and 18x assorted RE’s continue chasing after the retreating Axis.   On the Jebel el Akhdar the 8th Arm XX, 2x Arm X’s, the Free French X, and the Greek X surround the Italian Mot XX.   The Allies fly in 4 air groups for GS, and at 6:1, +2 odds the Allies roll a ‘2’ for a DE.   The 8th Arm XX gets as far as Agedabia as it tries to catch up with the rest of its army, which drives on thru Sirte, historically occupied December 25th.   The British army is held up by the 21st Pz XX a hex past Buerat, where it was historically held up from December 26th until January 16th.

In French North Africa the French suddenly abandon Tunisia, falling back into a line of divisions from Tebessa to Bone.   They embark another Foreign Legion regiment at Oran (1 naval step) using 2 NT’s, sail around Mallorca to Corsica escorted by a CL and a DD (2 naval steps), disembark the regiment at Ajaccio (1 naval step).   Without missing a beat, they embark a US Inf III and Inf HQ (1 naval step), and sail it to Marseille (1 naval step), but can not disembark them until the Exploitation Phase.

In southern France the Allies scramble to form a coherent defense line around the 25-pt German bulge in the hex next to Avignon.   They keep the small French division in the swamp hex on the west side of the Rhone River.   They keep the British 78th Division in Arles.   They keep the Guards Arm XX across the river from Nimes.   They keep the US 1st Arm XX and 2 artillery units in Avignon.   They move up the 4th Mixed XX and an AA X into the rough terrain on one side of the bottom of the bulge, and CCA and CCB of the 2nd Arm XX, and an artillery unit into the wooded rough terrain on the other side of the bottom of the bulge.   The second line consists of the 6th Arm cadre behind the Durance River, a 7-pt stack, and the US 4-8* Inf III.   Taking advantage of a small gap in the German air defense, the British transfer 2x Spit IX’s into the permanent airfield completed in Port de Bouc.   WW changed the transfer range to 4x the printed range, no doubt due to the trick players were using of flying an extended range CAP and then an extended return to get to an airbase 4x the printed range away.

In GB the Allies load up WitD’s western Med allotment of 10 NT’s with the supported components of the 42nd Arm XX and the 3rd Mixed XX, and 2x US AA III’s and send them on their way to the Mediterranean.

Axis Turn

Of the German reinforcements for North Africa this turn the 334th Inf XX is already in action in southern France.   The Italians place their reinforcements in northern Italy.   The Germans replace the 2x PzG X’s that were eliminated the turn before.   The Tripolitanean garrison activates because Allied units are within 12 hexes.

The Axis retreat from Libya into Tunisia, leaving behind 2 stacks of garrison units as roadblocks.   The Italian 131st Arm XX leading the advance reaches Sousse.   It is followed by the 132nd Arm XX, the 15th Pz cadre, the 133rd Arm cadre, and the 90th Mot XX.   During exploitation the Italian 131st Arm XX occupies Tunis.   The Italian 132nd Arm XX exploits into Kasserine to threaten the southern end of the French defense line at Tebessa.   The Italian 133rd Arm cadre exploits into mountain terrain 2 hexes south of Tebessa for the same purpose.   The 15th Pz cadre exploits 2 hexes northwest of Sousse, while the 90th Mot XX can only exploit 2 hexes past Gabes.   The 21st Pz XX exploits to Zaura, still inside Libya by 2 hexes.

The Italians move a CL and 2x DD’s along with all 18 of its NT’s to Palermo for the possible evacuation of Axis units from North Africa.

In northern Italy the Italians again look at attacking Nice, but the fear of casualties causes the attack to be canceled.   The Italian continue to move units thru the northern Maritime Alps, down thru Grenoble, and closing up to the Allied line.

In southern France the Germans mass 4x Pz XX’s and 8x c/m RE’s for an attack on the US 1st Arm XX in Avignon.   With odds of 5:1, -4  the Germans roll a ‘4’ for an EX.   The US reduce their only Arm XX to a cadre, eliminate 2 artillery units, and a French c/m ant.   The Germans reduce their 7th Pz XX to a cadre.   The US retreats its Arm cadre southwest across the Durance River.   The Germans exploit the 6th Pz XX, an SS PzG X, and 2x AA III’s into Avignon.   They exploit the 10th Pz XX into the hex adjacent to Avignon, where it joins the 26th Pz XX and 3x AA III’s.   The 7th Pz cadre and a PzG X exploit northeast to fill in a gap in the Axis line, connecting up with the Italians.

Dec 1942 II VP Check:

The Allies do not get any VP’s for the major and medium cities they they hold in southern France since these were never Axis owned.   They lose 3 VP’s for excessive US losses, and 8.5 VP’s for excessive French losses, the cost of using them as sacrificial roadblocks.   The Allies have no air nor naval losses.