Allied Turn

The weather roll is a ‘6’ for snow. Another Inf XX arrives from the US. The US replaces 2 air groups, the British replace 1. With their air cycle the US receives no less than 10x P-47D10’s.

The Allies now have mostly French units facing the Italians over the snow covered Maritime Alps. There are British and Indian Mtn XX’s east and northeast of Grenoble. The Allies looked at an attack on St. Etienne, but could get no better than 2:1, -2.

The first Allied attack is against a 23-pt stack defending Clermont by the NZ 2nd Mech XX, the British 6th Arm XX, the British 1st Abn XX, the US 36th Inf XX, the Canadian 2nd Inf XX, and the British 15th Inf XX. The Allies fly in a CAP of 8 fighter groups. In the combat phase the Allies fly in 16 air groups on a GS mission. German AA of 5 abort 3 and return 2. At 5:1, -1 odds the Allies roll a ‘2’ for an HX. The Germans reduce the 21st Pz XX and an Inf XX, and eliminate 3 ants. The Allies reduce the US 36th Inf XX and eliminate an Eng X.

The next attack is against a 13-pt stack just northwest of Vichy by the US 2nd Arm XX and the British Guards and 11th Arm XX’s. The Allies fly in a CAP of 8 fighter groups. After the Allies had flown all their CAP missions the Germans put up a CAP of 9 fighters over this hex. The allies fly in a GS mission of 10 fighter bombers escorted by 1 fighter, which the Allied CAP joins. The German CAP intercepts. The Allies kill 1 and abort 2 of the interceptors, which all by-passed. The surviving interceptors get 5 of the GS fighter bombers, mostly P-47’s, to jettison their bombs at the cost of 1 interceptor aborted. German AA of 1 returns 1. At 5:1 the Allies roll a ‘6’ for a DE. The Germans reduce a Para-Inf XX and eliminate 2x Inf cadres.

The third attack is against a 13-pt stack 2 hexes northwest of Montlucon by the Canadian 4th Arm XX, the US 8th Inf XX, and the British 3rd Inf XX. The Allies fly in a CAP of 6 fighter groups, and then in the combat phase 8 bomber groups on a GS mission. At 6:1, – 1 the Allies roll a ‘2’ for a DR.

The fourth attack is against a 13-pt stack just west of the town of Chateauroux by the US 3rd Arm XX, the US 101st Abn XX, the US 3rd, 9th, and 88th Inf XX’s, and the British 5th Inf XX. The Allies fly in a CAP of 5 fighter groups, and then a GS mission of 10 bomber groups. German AA of 2 aborts 2. At 9:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘6’ for a DE. The Germans reduce an Inf XX, and eliminate a PzG III and 2x ants.

The fifth attack is against a 13-pt stack just east of Poitiers by the US 1st Arm XX and the British 1st and 78th Inf XX’s. The Allies fly in a CAP of 5 fighter groups, and then a GS mission of 8 air groups. German AA of 2 aborts 1 and returns 1. At 5:1, -1 the Allies roll a ‘2’ for an HX. The Germans reduce an Inf XX, and eliminate a PzG cadre and an ant. The Allies reduce the British 78th Inf XX.

The sixth attack is against a 14-pt stack just northwest of Poitiers by the Canadian 5th and British 7th Arm XX’s. The Allies fly in a CAP of 5 fighter groups, and then a GS mission of 12 air groups. German AA of 2 aborts 1. At 5:1, -1 the Allies roll a ‘1’ for an EX. The Germans reduce an Inf XX and eliminate a PzG cadre and an ant. The Allies reduce the British 7th Arm XX, and eliminate a US AA X.

The seventh attack is against a 10-pt stack defending Poitiers itself by the US 82nd Abn XX and the US 2nd and 5th Inf XX’s. The Allies fly in a CAP of 5 fighter groups. At 5:1, -1 the Allies roll a ‘3’ for a DR, but surrounded by Allied ZOC’s the stack is eliminated.

The eighth attack is against a 14-pt stack just east of the minor city of La Rochelle by the US 34th and 85th Inf XX’s and the British 53rd and 56th Inf XX’s. The Allies fly in a CAP of 5 fighter groups, and then a GS mission of 5 air groups. German AA of 5 aborts 1 and returns 1. At 4:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘5’ for a DR.

The final attack is against the port fort in the minor city of Bayonne by 4x Eng III’s supported by 2x Siege Art II’s. At 8:1, -1 the Allies roll a ‘1’ for a DR, which destroys the port fort.

Axis Turn

Full in the West this turn are the 9th PzG XX, 2x Inf XX, and a Tiger II. Full in the South are a Para-Inf XX and an Inf XX, both of which will strat rail around Switzerland to the West. The Germans replace the 15th and FH PzG XX’s and an Inf XX. The Germans disband an Art III, 2x Pather II’s, 2x Recon II’s, 2x Aslt Gun II’s, and a Tiger II for a total of 3x Inf RP’s and 20x Arm RP’s. The Germans replace 1 air group and repair 3.

The Italian front is little changed except for a couple more Art III’s squeezed into the line. By the end of the turn the 8 mountain hexes defended by the Italians had an average defense strength of 12.5 pts. The 2 rough hexes west and southwest of Geneva held by the Italians had an average defense strength of 17 pts.

The Germans continue to hold the Lyon – St. Etienne line strongly, as well as the upper Allier River. However, the British Guards Arm XX had crossed to the east side this river when it exploited into Vichy. This forced the Germans to coagulate around this town on its southeast, east and northeast sides. After that the Germans defended again along the east bank of the Allier with the 25th Pz XX and FH PzG XX for 2 more hexes.

Around Bourges the German defense line becomes convoluted as a Static XX and an Art III could not retreat back into the main defense line southeast of Bourges, and an Inf XX 4 hexes due west of Bourges that could not reach the main defense line decides it would cause the Allies more inconvenience by remaining on an intermittent lake hex. The Germans used their 9th, 15th, and 90th PzG XX’s to shield Tours. From that point the line went straight west to the Atlantic. By the end of the turn the German main defense line was 28 hexes long and had an average defense strength of 14.5 pts.