The situation to date:
The cross channel attack has been launched by the US Army based in England. Despite getting ashore with minimal losses, damage to the Landing craft coupled with retention of several LCs in the Mediterranean for decepetion purposes critically weakened the amount of men and material that could be dumped ashore. German response to the landing is confounded by the developing break out into the Dordogne by the British Peninsula Army and Canadian 1st Army while the US forces in Italy are again threatening to break the German lines and flood into the Po Valley while Rome is being surrounded from the north, potentially trapping around a dozen good quality Divisions.
From the Allied point of view, everything is looking good and the only cloud on the horizon is the expected arrival of several high strength divisions in the Western Theatre and from the South East. Elsewhere the poor quality 4-5 XXs wait the opportunity to upgrade, but the race is on between the British and US to see which force can gobble up the most of these units before they can start making a pain of themselves.
Clear everywhere, calm seas.
German Player Turn
France – Reeling from the previous months battles, the German High Command reconstructs several PzG and Infantry units from its hoarded reserves. Luckily for the Germans is that May is a good month for reinforcements arriving in France and from other theatres. An SS battlegroup based around the fresh faced fanatics of the Hitler Youth Division marches along the Somme to threaten the central hex of the Allied beach head. Behind them, some PzG cadres and attached units try and destroy the paratrooper lodgement at St Quentin but to their frustration and joy of the Allies, they are only driven out of the town (DR). In the south of France, Perpignan is abandoned and a fall back towards the Massif Centrale is made while along the bay of Biscay the pull back to Bordeaux is continued and Bayonne is abandoned but the retreating XXs can’t fully break contact with the British.
Italy – The front line is mostly abandoned but Rome is held. The retreating troops slam into the US forces in their rear, destroying a Tank/motorised battlegroup in Sienna and flipping over an Armoured XX NE of Rome. At Perugia the US grunts hold off an attack by mountain troops. The Germans leave a lot of units looking vulnerable and can only shake their fists impotently at the overwhelming Allied air harrassment campaign.
Allied Player Turn
In the UK, dockworkers go out on stike, demanding higher rates of pay and conditions, with only two LC being repaired in the disruption that occurs. Despite this, the beachhead is built up with each corp containing an Armoured XX, two Inf XXs, Arty, AA and Eng units, ready for the breakout.
US units attack the Lehr and 21st Pz XXs with 2 Hvy AA regts attached. Massive air support is flown to help the yanks blast the Germans to pieces. In a deadly display of accuracy (loaded dice commented Whitehall) the AA proceeded to abort 400 and kill 100 GS planes, letting only 250 through to support the attack. In a sneaky attempt to force the odds more in their favour, American mechanised commandoes try to infiltrate the German lines – all are captured by keen eyed sentries (rolled F*). Despite this the Germans are pummeled for an EX result and forced back from the beach-head.
The lonely US paras march to Reims, occupying the city and wait, hoping they can hold out long enough for supplies and reinforcements to reach them. Either way it is agreed that a Spielberg movie will be made about their efforts to date (Saving lots of Privates). To slow any German attack on them, 1500 planes fly harassment around their hex to block the Germans. The HQ of the 101st remains on standby in a heavy glider transport to join the division.
In the south west the British continue their advance, the Portuguese size Bayonne and the canadians replace a Motorised Corp in the forests south of Bordeaux, allowing the British to swing south to assault a LW corp of paras, assault guns and odds and sods defending behind the Garrone River 80 miles south east of Bordeaux. The LW units are destroyed by superior armoured strength. On the Spanish border, French and British units lunge forward to attack the new German stop line at Sete (Port Fortification provides good base for defence). In Bezeirs a 5-8 XX is blasted apart by British infantry but the French assault on Sete is stalled due to lack of engineer and artillery support.
Italy – A US all arms Corp is added to the area to assist in the push up the boot. Rome is attacked by Poles, Kiwis, Indians and Brits but the city holds out (AS). North of the eternal city the US begins to chew up the German forces strung out around them. two mountain XXs are cadred and several high mountian units vapourised while Auezzano falls to a 1.5:1 attack.
Exploitation – Canadian armoured units advance to the centre of the Massif Centrale, the 1st Armoured and Recon forces arrive at Limoges while the 6th and 11th XXs enter Angouleme while the Guards Corp nearly swings the trap shut on the German forces around Bordeaux by entering Libourne on the Garonne estuary. The sound of high pitched shrieking is heard from Berlin.
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