Allied Turn

The weather roll was ‘6’ for continued mud. The British 6th Abn XX becomes complete in Britain, and along with the Polish Para X constitute the airborne threat to northern France. In France the British 53rd Mixed XX converts into an Inf XX. Arriving from the US are an AA X, a variety of engineer units, and the US/Canadian Mtn Cmdo X. Arriving from Gibraltar is a British Inf X, with 3 MP’s left. Arriving from North Africa are the British 6th Art [xx], with 1 MP left, and 2x French Inf XX’s, with 4 MP’s left. The US replaces 2x Arm II’s and the British replace 2x AA X’s. The US repair 2x air groups, and the British replace 1 air group and repair 1 air group.

The arriving French XX’s are inserted into the line facing the Italians in the Maritime Alps. The line across the Rhone valley remains unchanged, the Axis here are too strong to attack. British units defend the mountain hexes of the Massif Central.

The Allies make their first attack against a 17-pt stack 2 hexes southwest of Clermont with the British 6th and 11th Arm XX’s, the US 101st and British 1st Abn XX’s, and the US 36th and British 3rd Inf XX’s. The Allies fly in a CAP of 12 fighter groups, and in the combat phase a GS mission of 14 air groups, which 8 of the CAP then escorts. After The Allies had flown all their CAP missions the German fly in a CAP of 8 fighters over this target. The Allied escorts kill 1, abort 2, and return 1 of the German interceptors, which all choose to bypass. The surviving interceptors kill 3 and abort 1 of the Allied GS air groups. The Germans then fly in a DAS mission of 4 air groups which the last 4 Allied CAP fighters intercept. The Allied fighter groups suffer 2 killed, and the German DAS groups suffer 1 killed and 1 aborted. At 6:1, -3 the Allies roll a ‘4’ for a DR. The Germans retreat, and the Allies advance the US 36th Inf XX.

Farther north the Allies attack a lone German Inf XX with the US 2nd Arm XX, the Canadian 4th Arm XX, and the British 5th Inf XX. Here the Allies fly in a CAP of 4 fighter groups and then a GS mission of 4 bomber groups, which all the CAP escorts. The Germans do not react, and at 9:1, -3 the Allies roll a ‘2’ for a DR. The Allies advance the US 2nd Arm XX and the British 5th Inf XX.

The Allies also attack a Res Pz XX in the next hex over with the Guards Arm XX, the US 3rd Inf XX, and the British 78th Inf XX. The Allies fly in a CAP of 4 fighter groups and then a GS mission of 4 air groups, which all the CAP escorts. The Germans fly in 2x Fw190 attack groups for DAS, and the Allies intercept with a pair of P-51’s in range. The Allies kill 1 DAS group, and at 8:1, -3 roll a ‘4’ for a DH. The Res Pz XX is reduced, and its cadre retreats onto a friendly unit thru the Allied ZOC’s. The Allies advance the British 78th Inf XX into the hex.

The Allies attack 2x small static XX’s in the minor city of Limoges with the US 3rd Arm XX and Canadian 5th Arm XX. The Allies fly in a CAP of 4 fighter groups and then a GS mission of 4 air groups, which all the CAP escorts. A lone Fw190 intercepts, and gets aborted trying to bypass. At 7:1, -2 odds the Allies roll a ‘1’ for a DR. The US 3rd Arm XX advances.

A self-supported PzG X is attacked by the 82nd Abn XX, the US 9th Inf XX, and the British 53rd and 56th Inf XX’s. The Allies fly in a CAP of 4 fighter groups and then a GS mission of 4 air groups, which all the CAP escorts. After all the Allied CAP has been flown, the Germans fly in a CAP of 2 fighter groups, but the Allied escorts abort 1 and return the other. German AA misses, and at 9:1, -3 the Allies roll a ‘2’ for a DR. The Allies advance the US 9th Inf XX and the British 53rd Inf XX into the hex.

A pair of isolated German Inf XX’s are attacked by the US 2nd Arm XX, the British 7th Arm XX, the US 2nd and 34th Inf XX’s, and the Indian 8th Inf XX. Surrounded these German Inf XX’s are eliminated on rolls of ‘2’ for a DR, and ‘6’ for a DE.

The final attack is against 2x small Res XX’s by the US 5th Inf XX. Here the Allies fly in a GS mission of 12 air groups escorted by 4 fighter groups. The Germans do not react. German AA returns 2x GS groups. At 4:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘2’ for an AS result. Overall the Allies were not not very productive in the mud weather.

Axis Turn

The Germans gain the 10th PzG XX (no relation to the 10th Pz XX historically lost in Tunisia, but whose cadre is currently alive and well in southern France), the 273rd Res Pz XX, a Croat Inf XX, 3x AA III’s, and some c/m ants. Kept from transferring east are the 14th Pz XX, the 25th Pz XX, the 2nd Para-Inf XX (currently in the replacement pool), the 76th Static XX (now a 5-7-6 Inf XX), and a PzG X. Disbanded this turn are a Rkt Art III, a Tiger II, 2x Aslt Gun II’s and a small ET Fort III (their only source of production). The Germans do not replace any units this turn as they will need RP’s to replace units next turn for their conversions. The Germans replace 3x air groups and repair 6x air groups.

The Italians receive another pair of Coast XX’s and an Tank II. The Italians continue to inch units into the Maritime Alps, fearful that the Germans might pull back to the Lyon-Geneva line and leave them on their own.

The Germans remain strong along the Isere River, and on the west bank of the Rhone River. They hold on to their defense line in the mountain hexes of the Massif Central. They do retreat from a mountain hex 2 hexes ESE of Clermont. They insert the 10th PzG XX into a hex ESE of the minor city of Montlucon. They extract the 16th Pz XX thru Allied ZOC’s back to their new defense line around the salient spearheaded by the US 3rd Arm XX, giving up 2 hexes. The 25th Pz XX is railed in to box in the US 3rd Arm XX. On the other side of that salient the Germans pull back the 90th PzG XX, the FH PzG XX, and the LSSAH Pz cadre, giving up 5 hexes. Left behind is a Res XX that could not retreat far enough. By the end of the turn the German defense line from the Atlantic to the Rhone River is 22 hexes long with an average defense strength of 13.3 pts.