Iraqi Coup force and Axis/German Iraq intervention force dispositions on the Near East map group [at the turn’s start]:

On the island of Rodi:

Rodi (20A:2230) [point city/standard port]:

1 x Ju 52 1T1 0/20 (LW) [operative; in supply]

Iraq:

In the Central Iraq region:

Baghdad (22A:2825):

Iraq capital marker

1 x 1-2-6 Inf XX 3

1 x 1-6* Inf XX 2

1 x 0-1-6* Inf XX 4

1 x 1-0-8 Lt Arm X 1

one hit on the airbase

1 x Mxd 1A2 1/8 [operative]

1 x Me 110C 5HF5 1/12 (LW) [operative; becomes Red U-2 this turn]

21A:4803:

1 x 1-6* Inf XX 1 [still Black U-3]

In the Northern Iraq region:

Sulaimaniya (32:1532) [reference city]:

1 x He 111H4 4B4 2-7/22 (LW) [operative; becomes Black U-1 this turn]

Allied movement and end of turn dispositions:

In Palestine:

Haifa (20A:4710) [dot city/major port]:

1 x Well 1C 4NB3 2-6/28 [operative; end of movement phase]

In Iraq:

In the Central Iraq region [all Allied forces are in supply; end of movement phase]:

22A:2725 [canal intensive secondary rail line hex; NE of Baghdad]:

1 x 8* Inf XX HQ 10 (Ind) [never moved]

1 x 2-8 Inf X 24 (Ind) [never moved]

1 x 1-8 Inf X 20 (Ind) [never moved]

1 x 2-8 Inf X 25 (Ind) [regular moved from 22A:2726]

  • At the end of the movement phase these four units assemble into the Ind 6-8* Inf XX 10. This is the signal that the battle for Baghdad is at hand. It is no accident that these units are at 22A:2725; this is the only hex adjacent to Baghdad that does not have an intervening river hexside. The Ind 1-8 Inf X 17 at 22A:2925, on the opposite side of the Baghdad hex from here, provides the necessary ZOC entrapment combination to turn DR’s to DE’s. The two Allied c/m Xs are where they’re at because they can’t get to 22A:2725 by the end of the movement phase. Ground unit maneuver in the Baghdad hex vicinity is a problem every turn for the Allied player in the Iraq campaign. It’s downright tricky and difficult. At least three times I’ve had to scrap game reports for the Allied turn at the last minute upon realizing a ground unit movement mistake had been make in the necessary maneuvering around the partial city hex in preparation of the final assault.

1 x 2-8 Inf X 21 (Ind) [regular moved from 22A:2824]

22A:2726 [clear terrain hex NW of Baghdad]:

1 x 2-1-10* Mot Inf X Hab [regular moves from 21A:4504]

22A:2826 [clear terrain major rail/road junction hex W of Baghdad]:

1 x 0-1-4 Static II 2 As (Col) [never moved]

one step of attack supply [never moved; end of movement phase]

22A:2926 [canal intensive major rail/secondary rail nexus hex SW of Baghdad]:

1 x 1-8 Inf X 17 (Ind) [never moved]

22A:2925) [canal intensive hex E of the Tigris river; SE of Baghdad]:

1 x 2-1-10* Lt Arm X 252 (Ind) [never moved]

Habbaniya (22A:2828) [end of movement phase]:

1 x Glad 3F3 0/8 [operative]

1 x Hurri 1 5F5 1/8 [operative]

1 x Audax 1A1 1/8 [operative]

1 x 0-1-4 Static II 1 As (Col) [never moved; end of turn]

Ramadi (22A:3830) [reference city; end of movement phase]

1 x P 40C 5F5 1/13 (SAAF) [operative]

Rutbah (21A:5023):

1-cap permanent airstrip [Allied owned]

In the Southern Iraq region:

Near East:

Arrive [per the WitD Allied OB for the Jul II 41 Allied turn]:

1 x 2-8 Inf X 18 (Ind)

  • This Ind inf X disembarks at the major port of Basra and then regular moves 6 hexes, gaining hex control of several hexes in the vicinity. The Ind inf X moves first to 22A:4312, and then turns about face and soon moves south to the Umm Qasr point city/minor port border hex (22A:4513), where it again reverses its direction and ends it movement back at Basra. In so doing it gains Allied hex control of point city Zubair (22A:4413) and the swamp road border river crossing hex 22A:4411, possibly important for preparing for the pressing invasion of Iran.

Basra (22A:4313) [dot city/major port; end of turn]:

Allied standard Supply Terminal marker

1 x 2-8 Inf X 18 (Ind)

three steps of attack supply

Shaibah (22A:4314):

3-cap permanent airfield [Allied owned]

Allied and Axis/Coup Iraq force activity in the Combat Phase:

  1. The non-phasing Axis player announces a DAS air mission over the Baghdad target hex (22A:2825). The LW He 111H4 4B4 (Black U-1) and the Iraqi Mxd 1A2 1/8 air units fly the DAS mission to the Baghdad target hex. The LW Me 110C 5HF5 1/12 air unit (Red U-2) flies the escort air mission over the target hex. From the Habbaniya airfield (22A:2828) and the the Ramadi reference city airbase (22A:2830) the SAAF P 40C 5F5 1/13, the Hurri 1 54F5 1/8, and the Glad 3F3 0/8 Br air units fly the interception air mission to the Baghdad target hex.

  2. In the Baghdad target hex the Allied player allocates the Glad 3F3 type to attack the escorting LW Me 110C 5HF5 type (reduced to 3HF3, due to being U-2). The other two intercepting Allied F type air units bypass the single Axis escort and attack the Axis mission force; a random selection pairs the Br Hurri 1 5F5 type with the LW He 111H4 4B4 type, and the SAAF P 40C 5F5 type with the Iraqi Mxd 1A2 type.

  3. The results: The Me 110C air unit is aborted in air combat and placed in the WW Axis NE Command’s Replacement Pool Aborted Air Units box. The Glad air unit survives and returns to base at the Habbaniya airfield. The He 111H4 air unit is returned in air combat and bases at the Sulaimaniya airbase (32:1532); the Hurri 1 air unit is killed in air combat and placed in the WW Allied NE Command Replacement Pool’s Eliminated Air Units box. The Iraqi Mxd air unit is returned in air combat and bases at the Karbala dot city air base (22A:3227) and the SAAF P 40C air unit survives and returns to base at the Habbaniya airfield.

  4. Then the phasing Allied player announces a GS air mission over the Baghdad target hex. There is no need for fighter escort, nor are any Allied fighter units operative in the Baghdad zone. First he flies the Audax 1A1 1/8 on the GS air mission to the Baghdad target hex. Next he stages the Well 1C 4NB3 2-6/28 air unit from the Haifa airbase (20A:4710) in Palestine to the Rutbah (21A:5023) 1-cap permanent airstrip in Iraq, where it flies the GS air mission to the Baghdad target hex.

  5. The Coup Iraqis have a total of 4 def factors in the Baghdad partial city hex; their three inf XX’s there halved to a total of 2 due to Iraqi Unsteadiness. The Allied player attacks Baghdad from all the adjacent hexes containing Allied ground units, all but 22A:2725 having river hexsides facing towards the partial hex city.

  6. I tally the following factored attack strengths per hex:

  • From 22A:2725: Ind 6-8* Inf XX 10 (3) + Ind 2-8 Inf X 21 (.5) = 3.5

  • From 22A:2726: Br 2-1-10* Mot Inf X Hab (.5) = .5

  • From 22A:2826: Col 0-1-4 Static II 2As (0) = 0

  • From 22A:2926: Ind 1-8 Inf X 17 (1/8=.125) = .125

  • From 22A:2925: Ind 2-1-10* Lt Arm X 252 (.5) = .5

  • GS from Audax (.5) + Well 1C (1) = 1.5

  • This adds to a total of = 6.125

  1. The attack is a straight up 3 to 1. Per the GE TEC used in WW there are no modifiers for attacking a partial hex city outside of “combat between Axis and Soviet forces.” The die roll is a 3: HX. All Iraqi ground units in the Baghdad hex are eliminated and placed in the Iraq Replacement Pool found on the WitD Neutrals Game Chart. The Iraq Capital Marker is removed from the NE map group and set aside. The Ind 2-8 Inf X 21 is eliminated in the HX and placed in the WW Allied NE Command Replacement Pool. The Audax air unit returns to base at the Habbaniya airfield, and the Well 1C air unit returns to base at the Rutbah airstrip.

  2. After resolving the combat results, the Br 2-1-10* Mot Inf X Hab and the Ind 1-8 Inf X 17 advance after combat into the Baghdad hex.

  3. At the end of the combat phase the Allied player removes his step of attack supply in 22A:2826 used to provide attack supply for his attacking ground units (Rule 12D).

Allied movement in the combat phase:

Baqubah (21A:4802) [canal intensive secondary rail junction reference city hex]:

1 x 2-1-10* Mot Inf X Hab

  • From the Baghdad hex the Br 2-1-10* Mot Inf X Hab journeys northeastwards and ends the exploitation phase at Baqubah, retaking this reference city for the Allies. It sorely needs to soon move westwards across Iraq and capture the Vichy French reference city Deir ez Zoir (21A:3922) for the Allies, but there is still unfinished business for it in Iraq.

22A:3023 [clear terrain secondary rail line hex]:

1 x 2-1-10* Lt Arm X 252 (Ind)

  • From canal intensive hex 22A:2925, SE of Baghdad, the Ind 2-1-10* Lt Arm X 252 moves southeastwards along the secondary rail line to Kut-al-Imara (22A:3220), capturing this reference city/minor port hex for the Allies. Then it double backs northwest and ends the exploitation phase at 22A:3023.

Commentary: With the Allied capture of Baghdad in their combat phase, the main Allied hex objective is accomplished in an “extended” Iraq campaign where the Iraqi coup did not ideally collapse in the earlier Axis initial phase of the Variable Iraqi Coup Collapse Table dice roll done on the “first turn (only) that a supported Allied unit is adjacent to an Iraqi-owned Baghdad.” In our special WW ME/“Iraq Campaign” Scenario demonstration this bad luck Allied dice roll happened on the May II 41 Axis initial phase; and now, two months later, Baghdad falls in the Jul II 41 Allied turn in a dicey battle.

For the Allied player it appears that “phase 2” will be the mop-up in Iraq and the border deployment and subsequent execution of the invasion of Iran. Also, the remote eastern Syrian reference city hex of Deir ez Zoir (21A:3922) still needs to be captured for the Allies, and the Br c/m X Hab unit is the logical choice for this task, of all Allied ground units present on the WW ME Campaign Scenario map group. On the Aug I 41 Allied turn it converts to the 2-1-10* Lt Arm X 9, and is likely needed as soon as possible in the Egypt-Libya border zone in the Western Desert map group, facing the Afrika Korps besieging Tobruch. In any event the damage is done to the Allied cause in our extended Iraq campaign demonstration here. Some of the Allied forces involved in the special WW/“Iraq Campaign” Scenario demonstration have been diverted from their historical roles in the Syrian and Western Desert campaigns, and the Iran invasion will apparently be delayed by a turn, at least. But such are some of the primary issues played out in the WW Middle East Campaign Scenario game play.