Initial Phase

Weather:  Weather gets a bit rough, or as rough as it can get given the time of year.  Sixes are rolled for both the European/North African & East African theaters.  The European areas remain clear, but a second roll is made and desert storms turn up.  There are currently 3 unmaintained temp airbases on the Axis side (one maintained base on each side), and a total of 4 hits are placed on the 3 Axis temp bases, aborting an MC.200 at one of our forward bases in North Africa.  In the south, about 70% of the zones go muddy, but sadly, the areas currently critical to the Axis effort around Massaua, Addis and Dessie are not any of these.  At sea, the winds kick up in the Indian Ocean resulting in rough seas.

The 26th East African Col X that landed at Bulhar in the last Allied turn goes undisrupted.  As this occurs in step 1 of the initial phase, we decide this is sufficiently close to the beginning of the turn to warrant the port coming fully under Allied control.

The Allies choose not to send the Greek government into exile, so clearly they intend to hang on as long as possible.  Good for them!  Greek demoralization is then checked for, with a 4 rolled and modified to a 2 for less than 7 Allied RE’s and less then 1 Arm RE in mainland Greece.  This results in full demoralization effects (no movement of Greek items to islands despite German intervention, all isolated Greeks surrender, reduced zoc’s in effect for German units, among other things.)  Elsewhere, the Allies lose a VP for Axis access to the Levant.

The current Allied special operation still in planning is cancelled and replaced by a different plan.  No Axis intel on what this might be, but it’s presumed to be for the Marine Commando units in Alexandria.

In supply calcs, on the Axis side all units on Rodi are U-4, while those on Scarpanto are U-4 but supplied via GSPs.  The Italian inf III on Crete is U-4, while the Para III’s are U-1, with the Italian infantry and the undisrupted para III supplied by the two unscattered GSPs.  Khania has a 2.5 effective strength, though a 6 point printed strength.  In East Africa, all Axis units are U-4, and many in the west are threatened with isolation if the Allies seize Gimma as expected.  Eleven RE’s in the defensive line facing the Allied coastal advance are placed in supply, as is the CR.42 at Massaua, using 12 GSPs at Asmara.

For the Allies, the units at Soddu & Bulhar use GSPs to remain in supply.  Malta is U-4 except for the two flak II’s at U-3, with no GSPs present.  Tobruch is U-2 and isolated now.  In Greece, the 14th Brit X on Melos is U-1.  Three pockets of Greek troops in north and northeast Greece go U-1 isolated and promply give up their arms to the victorious German troops (all of the units still maining the 3 remaining hexes of the Metaxas line plus the one hex to the rear, the large stack of units that retreated away from Thessalonike, the remaining units of the Aliakmon line, and finally the northern tip of the Albanian front.  All told, 48 points of Greek troops (including 3 Mtn XX’s, 2 Mtn Cdrs, 2 Inf XX’s, the 19th m Inf XX, and 13 RE’s of non-divisionals) surrender.  With 51 pts of Greeks already in the pool, this results in roughly 8 divisions and divisional equivalents remaining in the central mountains on the Albanian front and along the western coast.  About 10 RE’s of non-divisional Greeks are in the Peloponnesus and the Boetia/Attica region.  Just two RE’s of static troops remain on Crete.)  After this mass surrender, a number of hexes behind the German lines become Axis owned via isolation, as do a pair in North Africa.  Two ports in northern Greece however remain in the control of local Greek personnel, at least until such time as a combat unit moves through them.

In reinforcement activity, the 4th Ind XX is rebuilt at Alexandria using 3 Indian and 1 British RP.  Two Aussie RPs are used to return the 16th Inf X.  Two ARPs are transferred from Kenya to the Mideast and used to bring back the Glads strafed at Melos and an aborted Blen4.  Neither side has any ARPs remaining, and there are 5 ARPs worth of Axis and 2 ARPs worth of Allied air units still in pools.  TF-1 is activiated at Alexandria at 3 pt strength, probably to provide additional flak capabilities for what Axis intel can only presume will be large numbers of naval movements from the Greek mainland.  In East Africa, a Cons X withdraws, while the reorg of the 5th S.Afr is again delayed, this time due to an Axis zoc projected by an intruding Blackshirt III.  A small convoy with AFV’s arrives in the south Indian Ocean (theoretically to allow the 4th Royal Tank II to upgrade to a 2-1-6 II).

As before, GSPs are created at all the current Allied standard supply terminals, but in addition, the one a/s in the Mideast theater at Tobruch is converted to 12 GSPs.  Even with the abundance of GSP sources, this step appears to have been forced on the Allied side as their naval transport ability is stressed to the max supporting three separate theaters.  There are still 6.5 RE’s of Allied troops in mainland Greece (to say nothing of the possibility that the Indian and Kiwi XX’s will get shipped into and out of Tobruch to reduce the 8 VP drain that ol’ Churchill is forcing on the Allied command structure), some 3 a/s points which would require 9 NTPs, plus requirements in the Indian Ocean and Eastern Med, so it is likely that GSP shipments to Malta and Tobruch are currently beyond the capability of the Allies right now.

A number of construction activities are started, including an airfield at the oasis of Mersa Taclal along the Red Sea north of Massaua and a fort by the Aus Eng X at Alexandria.  Meanwhile, the permanent airfield at Tobruch is completed and the Malta cons levees reduce the Malta status to 14.

In air issues, 6 a/c that bombed Malta remain inop.  Also, three Italian F units remain inop on 3 separate overstacked airbases in the Greek theater, as does the Well1C on Melos.

The Axis then kicks off a series of missions to limit Allied mobility in the Greek and Med theaters.  A CR.42 CAP mission is flown over the most forward temp airbase, near Tobruch, but it is unlikely that Allied bombers will be able to splurge on bombing an empty temp airbase.  An Me109E at Volos stages to Khania and flies a CAP over the Khania field to limit the damage an airbase strike might have on that base since two Ju87R’s are there… these are placed on naval patrol.  So are two bombers on Scarpanto, two at Egouminitsa, three at Valona, two at Alexandroupolis and three more (one coded) on Sicily.  There’s even a BR.20M at Damas on naval patrol, hoping to inhibit movements through the canal.  Hopefully a bad turn for Allied naval movements.  An Italian Ju87B/R unit flies a harassment mission to Arta, which will ensure no Greek units escape the coastal or mountain regions near Albania (and will ensure no ZOC’s prevent Axis troops from getting to the narrow straights north of Patrai).  An Me110D flies another harassment mission to the 4503 hex on Crete, prepped to drop bombs, but the two Allied fighters in the area ignore this for now.  After further calculations, it is determined that 8 mp units could just barely land at Rethymnon and push through this harassment to the outskirts of Khania, so a second Me110D flies a harassment to Rethymnon’s hex (our group decides that the ‘at start’ provision for harassment mp loss is determined by where the unit is when it begins ground movement, and not where it is at the beginning of the movement phase.)  This time the P.24 at Rethymnon reacts, so the Me110D’s drop bombs and air to air is fought out, though neither side inflicts damage.  Given this, a Ju87B stages in for another go at harassment, and the Hurri1’s at Eraklion intercepts.  It rolls well and aborts the Stukas, losing no a/c of its own.  The Allies quickly fly a CAP with the Glad rebuild at Alexandria over Rethymnon since the Axis intention is now clear, and a second Ju87B flies unescorted thereto.  The follow-on air to air combat results in no results by either side, so the harassment hits are placed on the port.  This will prevent any significant Allied forces (at least supported) from landing at the port and then moving overland to assault the special operators at Khania.  It is still possible that the Greek Static X itself could reach the Khania area, and unsupported troops might risk landing at the still allied owned hexes west of the city, but the TF-1 will hopefully get blasted in naval movements and be unable to provide any NGS to such small units attacking alone (even if assaulted by just a few points of unsupported allies, any EX/HX result would likey be a victory to the Axis, given the presumed higher printed strengths involved.)

Movement Phase

The EA theater begins naval movements, with 2.0 Col RPs moved to Aden and the Aden Static X moved to Bulhar, at the cost of 2 of the 9 Eastern Med/Indian Ocean NTPs.  This leaves just 7 for all necessary movements in the Med.  Also, the 1 Arm RP in the south Indian Ocean is routed up to Mid-east command.  The BR.20M at Damas attempts to make contact at the end of the movement as it exits the canal just north of Port Said, but the contact roll fails (+3 for calm, -3 for distance.)

Recognizing the threat to his Aegean naval operations, the Allied commander in the theater decides to launch a major raid against the Khania airbase.  All available a/c except the Bombay transports fly airbase bombing missions to Khania (including Hurri1’s which won’t drop bombs if engaged in air to air, a Blen1, a Blen4, and the Greek Mxd B unit).  They are quickly intercepted by the Me109E’s on CAP over the field as well as the Me109E’s waiting on standby.  Without true escorts, the Emils quickly get in amongst the bomber forces (randomly allocated against the Blen4 and the Greek bombers).  Rolls are somewhat poor for the Axis and rather good for the Allies, but the qualitative difference spells the difference.  Both the Blen4 and Greek bombers go down aborted, while a single inconsequential return result is generated against the fighters (109E’s roll 7 & 8 vs Blen 4 & Mxd B respectively, with the bombers rolling 4 and 5).  The remaining mission force units bomb and strafe the base, and the Hurri1’s with their upgraded bombing strength due to strafing manage a single hit (5 rolled for Hurri’s, 4 for Blen 1), putting a Ju87R on naval patrol into the abort pile and reducing the base capacity to 2.  The Me109E’s return to Khania, while the Blens head for Athenai and the Hurri1’s overstack at Rethymnon.

With 7 Eastern Med NTPs and 3 remaining Aegean NTPs (1 each of which may be treated as an ANTP), the Allied commander for the Mideast & Greece then begins a complicated series of manuevers designed to make a stab at retaking the vital Khania airbase and port before additional Axis forces can be lifted in.  First, using one Med NTP & 2 Aegean NTPs he begins moving attack supply from Athenai to Rethymnon.  While the supplies are being loaded, Axis naval patrol craft at Alexandroupolis react (to whittle away at the NTP totals essentially… all Allied naval movements listed below finish loading with their last nmp spent at night so that no daylight missions can occur against them at the departing port, unless otherwise indicated.) The first mission is flown by an He111H4, which makes contact (+3 for calm, -3 for distance, 5 rolled), passes by flak (8 rolled), then manages to register a single hit (2 & 6 rolled), which is randomly allocated to an Aegean NTP (reducing the Allied total in that pool permanently to 2, still sufficient to allow one ANTP however.)  The Allies sail a second Med NTP into the Pireus to complete loading, so the Ju88A1 at Alexandroupolis flies as well, but this time as the Allied transports transition back to daylight some 4 hexes north of the Cretan coast.  Contact however fails with a 1 rolled (+3 for calm, -4 for distance.)  The Z.506B out of Egouminitsa takes a shot as well at the same location and while the radio transmissions from the Germans give them a general idea, they still can’t quite find the elusive transports (+3 for calm, -4 for distance, 5 rolled.)  No further missions are flown (there are still one Ju87R unit at Khania, and a Ju88A1 and Italian Mxd B unit on Scarpanto, but these units are awaiting bigger game, namely Allied ground units, as it seems likely that Allied XX’s might transition to the Rethymnon port.)  The attack supply then lands at the Rethymnon port, using up its 3 pts of port capacity.

The Allied High command now wants to have the activated TF-1 escort an ANTP carrying the rebuilt 16th Aus X to a friendly beach northwest of Khania, but the TF wouldn’t have sufficient points to manage this and provide NGS, so it sails alone directly to 18:4303, the northwestern most tip of Crete (and the only available hex from which it can simultaneously provide NGS and support units landed on a friendly beach, given that 4503 is Axis owned and therefore unavailable for unplanned naval offloading.)  Axis naval patrol craft wish both the ANTP and the TF would have sailed together so that hits might be registered against both, but since they didn’t, the TF is left to its own devices as the anticipated ground forces are more important.  The aforementioned 16th Aus X then sails via Med ANTP to 4303, and the Ju88A1 on Scarpanto quickly reacts.  Contact is successful (+3 for calm, -2 for distance, 5 rolled) but in a twist, the 2 pts of flak rolls a 3 and aborts the bombers.  The Italian Mxd B then flies to the same location after 5 nmps have been spent off loading, and a 4 rolled with the same mods is sufficient to find the offloading troops.  Flak fails this time with a 9 rolled, but the Italians scatter their bombs all over the beach for little apparent affect (1 rolled.)  Wishing to save the Ju87R for a possible XX move, the Axis lets the Aussies then land.  However, it turns out that the scattered bombs did have some effect, as a 1 is rolled on the disruption roll (-1 for rough terrain), resulting in the Australian X scattered about and the Brigade commander cursing the British for dropping him on some isolated bit of beach just like his forebears almost 30 years previous.  Layforce then loads up on a Med NTP and sails for that same bit of beach, unmolested by any Axis air units.  However, the rough surf turns over the dinghies the Commandoes are attempting to use as landing craft and most of the highly prized men are drowned in the waves (-1 for rough and –3 for non-amphibious, another 1 rolled sees the fragile commando unit into the dead pool.)  So far, on both sides really, this is shaping up to be a comedy of errors.

Knowing they need at least a 2:1 –1 attack to have any hope of success (plus at least 6 points of printed ground strength, but Axis intel is unsure yet whether this minor fact has been realized by the Allied High Command), the British 14th X currently sunning itself on Melos loads up on the Aegean ANTP and moves to that evil bit of beach front property.  Hoping to sink the ANTP and force an NTP to carry the unit, a Ju88A at Egouminitsa attempts contact while the unit loads, but a poor roll of 1 sees the air unit missing the LC’s entirely (+3 for calm, -4 for distance.)  Not wanting to let the Allies get to that critical 6 pts of attack strength, the big Ju87R’s finally get into the action.  Contact is practically guaranteed (+3 for calm, -0 for distance) and is successful with a 5 rolled, but in another miracle flak roll, the R’s are driven off when the 2 pts of naval flak rolls a 4.  Yet, the Axis gets a bit of revenge regardless, as all the twisting and turning caused by the flak operations causes the 14th’s landing to go poorly as well (-1 for rough, 2 rolled) and that unit too ends up disrupted on the beach.  The Ju87R returns to Scarpanto, at least freeing up some ramp space for the 4 German units already at Khania.  In other landing type news, all Axis units returned to their home stations except the Italian Mxd B, which returned to Rodi to free up space on Scarpanto.

At this point, the Allied High Command takes a bit of a break while it puzzles out what next to send… Three NTPs are all that remain to them, and while there are no more naval patrol craft in the south Aegean, there are still a few in the north at Valona.  Some 1 or 2 more points must be landed, 2 really if the Greek Reth Static X intends to participate and the Allies don’t wish to see both the Allied and Axis stacks mutually annihilated on an EX, which would leave the Axis in control of the hex.  There are few remaining unsupported units laying about the map for the Allies to use, and of course, Malta will likely go hungry again.  Available for movement to the 4303 beach are still the Greek static X at Eraklion, the Czech II at Alexandria (plus the Aussie Eng, though it just started a fort, so it’s unlikely to move), plus a pair of units at Tobruch (23rd British X, and the 1RNF machinegun II.  That’s about it… not too many pleasing options remain.  Any unsupported troops landed at the beach must brave the –4 disruption roll modifier, while the idea of sending supported or heavy equipment units would simply be insane, what with a –7 disruption roll modifier (a 4 in 6 chance of having the unit eliminated, and only a 2 in 6 of being ‘just’ badly disrupted and useless for all but exchange calculations.)

In a bit of a surprise, the Allied CINC uses its next NTP to shift the W Art X at Patrai to Crete, target unknown.  This is a small surprise because the Rethymnon port is used up, so only Eraklion & Hagio Nikolaos have any capacity left.  Regardless, the Axis CC has no desire to see Allied artillery on Crete, so Z.1007b bombers out of Valona attempt contact at 16+ hexes range (+3 for calm, -3 for distance), but they are well prepared and quick spot the units off the Peloponnesus as the transport enters daylight movement.  Two points of flak misses w/ a 10 rolled, and in a show of Italian air arms boxcars are rolled, cracking the keel of the NTP and quickly sending it and the W Art X to the bottom.  Barely a smudge is left on the surface of the sea to indicate the brave lads of the W Art X were ever there.  The Eastern Med pool is reduced to 8 NTPs.

Stubborn and stiff lipped as always, the British move their 23rd X out of Tobruch to that western tip of Crete.  A three rolled ensures that the X is badly disrupted and reduced to a 0 combat strength.  With only 1 NTP left in theater, the Aussie Eng X is ordered to abandon the fortworks being built in Alexandria, which it only just began.  It boards the last NTP and heads for Crete, hoping for a 6 so that something landed will end up undistrupted.  The Aussies get close w/ a 5, but are disrupted upon landing, leaving 3 X’s disrupted and one badly disrupted on the beach.  No further naval movement can occur, so it will be up to the NGS, those X’s and whatever GS can be mustered to push the Axis forces out of Khania… and to gain ownership the Rethymnon static X will have to move out of the town and head west as it is the only undisrupted unit which can reach an attacking position on Khania.  Pending confirmation of what they do, if anything, with the Bombay transports in the movement phase, Axis Air CINC lays plans to fly a couple of CAP’s at Khania & Tobruch, to possibly keep GS away from Crete.  One pt is necessary for the Allies to manage a 3:1 -1 on Crete, so we’ll do our best to prevent same.

At this point, ground movement can finally begin.  In Greece, Greek units along the old Cham front attempt to flee to the rear, but Axis harassment at Arta will ensure nothing gets away.  Most units are limited to 1 hex of movement, bumping up against German screening units set up on the east side of the north-south mountain spine.  A small group consisting of the Greek 12th Inf XX and two arty III’s makes Prevesa, hoping that the government in Athens will send transports to rescue them, but little shipping is available, and if it were, the demoralized Greek politicians would not send the units to Crete or into exile anyway.  In southern Greece, nearly all Greek units flow north to Patrai or the southbank of the Spherkios.  There are no artillery units to support these two collections of unsupported non-divs (a real hodge-podge of static, cons, bdr and eng units, with some flak and pos AA and a single supported Mtn X.)  Neither can be expected to hold the German units off for long.  These units, plus allied units fleeing south to Athenai do destroy the rail lines leading from the south bank of the Spherkios to the city itself.  In addition, all airfields in the Peloponnesus are destroyed, as is the airfield just northwest of Athenai, while Athenai itself gets one airfield hit.  Hits are put on the rails at Kalamai and Patrai, and some engineers manage to put two hits on the Patrai port as well.  The 7th Aus XX in Athenai breaks down into unsupported components, perhaps to allow for easier shipment to Cretan beaches?  By the end of the turn, all Allied units (7th Australians X’s and Hq, 57th Flak II, 43rd RPC Cons X, and a pos AA) are huddled in Athenai, awaiting more shipping to flee the scene no doubt.  Only a single Greek unit remains in the capital, the S Flak II.  The Allies intend to fight to the last Greek J  On Crete, the Rethymnon Static X does advance to the east flank of Khania so that in the event the Allied counter-attack is successful something will actually be able to gain ownership of the port and airbase.  The Erak static X moves up to Rethymnon itself, leaving the east side of the island denuded of troops, for the time being.

Down in North Africa, Tobruch’s defenders huddle with nothing to do but wait.  In Alexandria, the rebuilt 4th Ind XX also breaks down into unsupported X’s (more units shipping to Crete?), while it’s 11th X moves to join the 1M FF II guarding the airfield southwest of the city.  The 65th AT II moves out and establishes a ‘blocking position’ at El Alamein, such as it is.  The Polish Karp Mtn X hitches a trainride west and then overlands to Matruh to regain temporary control of the port, but turns back east immediately afterwards.  It ends movement at 1418, 30 miles east of Matruh, joined by a TC moved up from Alexandria.

Down in East Africa, the units along the coast north of Massaua mostly concentrate on a single Italian Inf X on their flank in the Nora range on the west side of the Nacfa valley.  The three Aus X’s prepare to assault, while the two Ind X’s cross back to the road to 1803, about 30 miles north of the main Italian line guarding Massaua, where they are content to await further developments.  In south Sudan, the EC Col X moves away (via train and admin) from the Italian units invading from the AOI and heads south along the Gedaraf – Gallabat road.  4th RT Tk II moves the opposite direction out of the mud and heading for the rails near Gedaraf.  46th RPC Cons X takes up the garrison of Gondar, with 10th Ind and a separate TC moving to the broken bridge east of the city at 10W:0314.  The 2MMG II crosses that bridge and moves around the 0209/0310 bridge by flanking the headwaters of the Mareb river, giving it free passage to the rear of the abandoned Cheren works in exploit.  Near Dessie, 2nd South African and 1st Col Belgian X’s approach the city from the southwest, with a TC supporting.  The FB Col II approaches the north, while the 1MMG II crosses mountains terrain to cut off access from the northeast.  In the Addis Ababa area, 1st Sth Afr & a TC move east along the rail line towards Dire Daua, passing the town of Auasc.  The 5th Sth Afr & SEAC Cons units remain engaged with the impertinent 11th Blackshirt III southwest of the city on the south bank of the Auasc river.  The EAC Cons X repairs two hits at Addis, giving the RAF and SAAF a good base from which to operate.  A bit to the west 24th Gold Coast & a TC screen Italian units in th Oromos Highlands, while 21st East African does the same from the south.   1st East Afr Recon II moves directly west to a point just shy of Gimma, where it threatens to take the only Italian limited supply terminal in the west.  This will put most Italian units in the western half of the AOI into isolated status, forcing surrender checks on any within 2 hexes of an Allied unit.  A bit to the south, 25th East African screens Italian units in the Mendebo Mts.  Mostly it appears that the Allies are attempting to just stay within ‘surrender’ range of the Italian units in the west and central AOI.  At Bulhar in British Somalia, the Aden & 26th East African engage the 70th Ital Col X just outside the city.

At the end of movement, recognizing that the Allies are just shy of 3:1 -1 at Khania, a CR.42 flies a CAP over Tobruch, while an Me110C and a CR.32bis fly a CAP over Khania.

Combat Phase

As expected, the Bombay transports are flown as GS to Khania to get the odds up, despite the fact that they have no escorts.  The Me110C is allocated to attack first, rolls a 7 and K’s the transports.  The Bombays roll a 6 and get no result.  (And, as I sit here writing this missive I realize that I forgot to have the F’s on the Khania field scramble away from the ensuing ground combat.  That was the plan all along, but things were moving quickly and I never go the chance to send the msg, and didn’t remember to afterwards…)  Regardless, the Allies are forced to attack at 2:1 -1 odds, lest their efforts be wasted and a 4 Allied X’s sit useless on the western tip of Crete.  They charge forward, but despite Herculean efforts to get the troops there and provide NGS and attack supply, the defending Fallshirmjagers and Italian Infantry men are too much to handle and the attack is repulsed with little loss to either side (3 rolled for an AS.)  Clearly, the Allied men spent too much energy just getting to the jump off point, and with the confusion and disruption of landing the attack never really got organized.  This is a critical result for the Axis, as reinforcements should easily flow in via air transport in the Axis half of the turn.

In East Africa, the Allies launch just a few assaults.  The South African units attack the 11th Blackshirt III, and with two air units providing GS the result is a foregone conclusion… the 10:1 even attack rolls a 5 for a DE (no a/s, 1 pt printed attacking, but Audax and Mxd S units providing GS provide a major boost in combat power.)  Next, the Aden static X and 26th EA X’s assault the 70th Col just outside Bulhar.  Odds are 10:1 -1 after the arrival of the Wellsly & the Blen, staging in and flying from Aden itself across the Red Sea.  A 6 is rolled for a quick DE (no a/s.)  Finally, the three Aus X’s assault the heroic 92nd Col X in the north Rora range.  One RE is supplied via the ‘free’ a/s rule, but just one a/c is present (Mxd A from S. Afr), for a 10:1 -2 attack.  The Col unit puts up a stiff fight and manages to retreat northwest in good order (1 rolled for a DR, no zoc’s around.)

Exploitation Phase

None in Greece.  In North Africa, the TC picks up the Karp X and drops it off at El Alamein, then presses on to the 2417 airbase near Alexandria.  In East Africa, 4th Royal Tank II moves along the rail line towards Kassala, reaching a point 2 hexes west of the city.  It’s likely headed for Port Sudan where it can be shipped up north to the Mideast.  2MMG II moves quickly up the Asmara valley and takes the Italian fort at Cheren from the rear, though as that position was abandoned this is insignificant at this point.  10th Ind X and a TC engage the Asb Col X by seizing Adua, and 1st MMG moves up the mtn road from Dessie to a point just 15 miles south of Agridat.  Around Dessie, 2nd S.Afr and a TC overrun a pos flak pt attempting to get into the city and then move to the northwest of the city.  The 1st S. Afr and a TC move up the road leading northeast out of Miesso, abandoning any moves toward Dire Daua and Harar for the moment and shifting their focus on surrounding Dessie.  The 1st East Afr Recon II does seize Gimma, eliminating the limited supply terminal in the city.  At this point, Italian units are essentially small enclaves of troops scattered about East Africa with little to connect them.  At the end of the turn, a few Axis transfer missions are flown to unstack an airbase or two in Greece.  Also, the Allies lose 8 VPs for having 2nd NZ XX at Tobruch, vice in Greece where ol’ Winston wanted it.  Current totals are 64 to -11 in favor of the Axis.