Allied Turn

The weather roll is a ‘3’ for mud. Arriving from the US are the 5th and 6th Arm XX’s, an Inf XX, 7x assorted X’s, and 7x Tank II’s. The Allies convert 2x Arm X’s and 3x Tank II into amphibious armor. [Comment: Per SF Rule 14.K amphibious armor may “Treat lake and major river hexsides as river hexsides for movement and combat purposes”. By logical extension they should be allowed to treat mere river hexsides as if they didn’t exist.] The British upgrade their 7th Arm XX. The French receive 2x Arm XX’s. The US replace 1x Eng X and an ant, and rebuild their 88th Inf XX. The British replace a Tank X, and rebuild their 1st Inf XX. The US repair 2 air groups, and the British replace 2 and repair 2 air groups. A US Port Cons X begins reconstruction of the destroyed port at La Rochelle. The British ship the 6th Abn XX and 2x Art [xx] from Britain towards the Mediterranean.

Nothing changed along the front in the Maritime Alps facing the Italians. The first Allied attack is against a 19-pt Axis stack sitting in a fort 3 hexes northeast of Lyon by the US 5th Arm XX, the US 4th, 30th, and 45th Inf XX’s, and the British 46th and 51st Inf XX’s. The Allies fly in a CAP of 2 fighter groups. In the combat phase the Allies fly in a GS mission of 20 air groups escorted by 2 fighter groups. German AA aborts 5 and returns 7. At 5:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘4’ for a DR. The US 4th and 30th Inf XX’s advance into the hex.

The next attack is against a 19-pt stack 3 hexes northeast of Roanne by the US 6th Arm XX, the British Guards Arm XX, the NZ 2nd Mech XX, the Canadian 1st and 2nd Inf XX’s, and the British 43rd Inf XX. The Allies fly in a CAP of 2 fighter groups. Then the Allies fly in a GS mission of 14 air groups escorted by 2 fighter groups. German AA aborts 1 and return 1. At 6:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘6’ for a DE. The Germans reduce 2x Inf XX’s and eliminate the rest of the stack. The Allies advance the British Guards and the NZ Mech XX’s into the hex.

The third attack is against a 15-pt stack 2 hexes southeast of Orleans by the US 2nd Arm XX, the US 101st Abn XX, the US 9th Inf XX, and the Canadian 3rd Inf XX. The Allies fly in a CAP of 4 fighter groups. After the Allies fly all their CAP missions the Germans fly in a CAP mission of 6 fighter groups. In the combat phase the Allies fly in a GS mission of 14 air groups escorted by 6 fighters. The German CAP intercepts. The Allied escorts, which included a Spit XIV, 2x Spit XVI, and 3x Spit IX, were only able to kill 1 and return 2. The surviving interceptors abort 1 and return 1 at the cost of 1 aborted to themselves. The Germans then fly in a DAS mission of 4 air groups, which the Allied CAP intercepts. The Allied interceptors kill 1 DAS group at the cost of 2 killed to themselves. German AA aborts 1 and returns 4, and Allied AA aborts 2. At 8:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘4’ for a DR. The Allies advance the US 9th Inf XX into the hex.

The fourth attack is against a 21-pt stack sitting in woods 2 hexes southwest of Orleans by the US 4th Arm XX, the British 1st and 6th Arm XX’s, the Canadian 4th Arm XX, the Polish 1st Arm XX, the US 3rd and 88th Inf XX’s, and the British 3rd and 5th Inf XX’s. The Allies fly in a CAP of 4 fighter groups. Then the Allies fly in a GS mission of 20 air groups, escorted by 2 fighter groups. German AA aborts 1. At 8:1, -3 the Allies roll a ‘1’ for a DR. The US 3rd Inf XX advances into the hex.

The final attack is against a 15-pt stack just east of Saumur by the 1st US Arm XX, the British 7th Arm XX, the Canadian 5th Arm XX, the US 82nd Abn XX, and the US 8th and 34th Inf XX’s. The Allies fly in a CAP of 4 fighter groups. After the Allies fly all their CAP missions the Germans fly in a CAP of 3 fighter groups. The Allies fly in a GS mission of 18 air groups escorted by 3 fighter groups. The German CAP intercepts. The Allied escorts kill 2 and abort 1 of the interceptors. The Germans then fly in a DAS mission of 3 air groups, which the Allied CAP intercepts. The Allies kill 1, abort 1, and return 1 of the DAS mission at the cost of 1 aborted to themselves. German AA aborts 2 and returns 3. At 9:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘3’ for a DH. The German reduce an Inf XX and eliminate an ant. The Allies advance the US 8th Inf XX into the hex.

During exploitation the British Guards and NZ Mech XX’s overran a small Static [xx] northeast of Roanne. After all the advances after combat and exploitation The Allied front was 39 hexes long from just southwest of Geneva to the Atlantic coast and had an average attack strength of 23.8 pts.

Axis Turn

The Germans receive a Para-Inf XX, an Air Lndg XX, which they reorganize as an Inf XX, and an Inf XX. The Germans replace 2x Res Pz XX’s and 5x Inf XX’s. The Germans disband 2x Rkt Art X’s, 2x Aslt Gun X’s, and 2x Aslt Gun II’s for 16x Arm RP’s and 8x Inf RP’s. The Germans replace 3 air groups and repair 5.

Nothing changes on the Italian front. Just to the north an Italian stack with 2x Alp XX’s retreats from the mountain hex just west of Geneva to the mountain hex just northwest of Geneva. From there the Axis line goes in a straight line for 4 hexes before running into the British Guards and NZ Mech XX’s, where 4 Axis stacks now surround this 33-pt Allied stack, before the line heads west. The Axis line reconnects with the Loire River just west of the town of Montceau-les-Mines. The Axis line then clings to the east/north bank of the Loire for 15 hexes until 3 hexes west of Orleans. There the line goes northwest for 3 hexes and then west for 2 hexes around the Allied bridgehead across the Loire at Saumur. The Axis line then reconnects with the north bank of the Loire and follows it for 7 hexes until it reaches the Atlantic. By the end of the turn the Axis defense line stretching diagonally across France is 32 hexes long with an average defense strength of 16.9 pts.