Mar I 41 Allied Turn

Malta status now 11.

The western and one of the eastern NTs are sunk by Axis anti shipping aircraft (now reinforced with the Ju88s) but one from Haifa gets through. Malta’s AA is supplied.

The Pioneer at Tobruch would like to start upgrading the fortress, but there are no AS/Res Pts to spare -the 2 that arrive this turn are needed for Greece next turn. So instead it ships out to Alex then by rail to El Alamein to start building airfields there instead.

Mindful of the need for major withdrawals to Greece (at Churchill’s insistence) next turn, and ULTRA’s hints at Germans troops in Tripoli and tanks on the way, the Allied army begins a general retreat.

Mar I 41 Axis Turn

2 more hits on Malta takes the Status to 13. A Ju87 is aborted. All the reinforcements arrive safely, with 1 AS held back in expectation of the recapture of Bengahzi and its port.
A general advance brings Ariete up to contact with 7th Armoured at Mechili, and the Mot Mg IIs of 5th Le retake Bengahzi. However the nearest AS is back at Agheila.

Mar II 41 Allied Turn

Clear and calm for the summer now.
Malta status now 11 (for comparison, the ENTER ROMMEL scenario has the status at 10)

Once the big shipment to Greece leaves, there are no Allied AS in North Africa. There is no spare NT in the E med and the one NT with supplies for Malta from the W Med is sunk. Malta’s AA is unsupplied for the first time.

LW Me 110Ds from El Agheila fly CAP over Bengahzi.
The Allies look into attacking the Ariete armoured group, but without supplies the best odds would be 3:2 -1.  Instead they consider how slowly they can withdraw given the similar shortage of Axis AS at the front. With AS landed at Bengahzi, the Ariete group can make a supplied attack anywhere in the Tobruch area, but the amount of force they can bring to bear is very limited as yet..

The Allies decide to hold near Gazala.
2x Blen 4 and the Wellingtons bomb Bengahzi. One Blen is returned by the CAP, and the Wellingtons inflict 2 port hits (Artificial port).

Mar II 41 Axis Turn

The usual mass air attack on Malta increases the Malta status to the maximum 15 and inflicts 2 port hits in addition.
2 pts AA, the 1-6 AA, and the cons engineers ship from Tripoli to Bengahzi. The Engineers repair 2 air cap and 2 x Ju88 transfer in from Sicily then try to bomb the airfield at Tobruch. Hurris turn one back and the other misses.

The turn ends with Ariete and Trieste closed up to Gazala, with an assembled 5Le 30 miles south in a position to outflank the Allies next turn. Derna is recaptured by an Italian 1-8 Mot Art III. AS is brought up from near Agheila to Msus.