Europa Games and Military History

Month: February 2000 (Page 1 of 3)

Comment to Date

Comment to Date

In Asturias, the Insurgents control Oviedo, Mieres, and not much else. Otherwise, the front lines run roughly along the borders of Andalucia, Estremadura, and Castilla la Vieja, except in the for inroad made by the Loyalist in the southern and eastern reaches of Castilla la Vieja. Both sides have suffered from a shortage of artillery, particularly the Insurgents. Many divisions have had to be formed unsupported. These shortages are finally beginning to be met.

For the Insurgents,many Art III’s that could have been expected to join the rebellion stayed loyal, plus several Art III’s were lost in the first battles. For the Loyalists, as yet unrepaired damage to the factory at Gijon, sustained in the August fighting, has hampered production.

The Insurgent plan for 1937 calls for eliminating the Northern Gobernitos, begining with Santander, then Asturias, then Euzkadi. Secondary attacks will be launched down the rail line west of Madrid, mostly to hold Loyalist units in that area. After the Basques are crushed, the situation will be re-evaluated to determine the next phase of operations.

The Loyalist plan calls for a three pronged attack toward Burgos from Santander, Miranda de Ebro, and Soria. After Burgos is taken, forces will push on to Valladolid. From there, some units will head west to retake Salamanca, while the main force will turn north to take Leon, after which it will eliminate the Insurgents in Galicia, who will now be cut off. It is expected that Portuguese aid to the Insurgents and the mountainous terrain past Leon will cause the campaign to conquer Galicia to take the rest of the year, so a campaign against the Insurgents in Estremadura and Andalucia will have to wait till 1939.

Notes from the Japanese commander

Don’t forget to take Legaspi! I forgot it was a supply source for theAllies. Confounding this issue was the US RR Siege Gun II sitting here forthe entire game – but this doesn’t excuse me for not landing outside thecity and seizing it overland. By the time it struck me that the US stillhad a supply source once Manila was declared open I was over committed insouthern Luzon and the US had all ports in the “tail” garrisioned with unitsand those pesky 1-4 CD battalions.

Use the paratroopers – I didn’t use them enough in this game – maybe due to the initial high number of US Fighter squadrons. These units are good forsudden attacks and seizing ports and air strips, not as line infantry.

In this scenario there are lots of units but supplies taper off towards the end – don’t burn off Attack Supply on attacks involving a couple of units -use as many as possible to get the greatest benefit.

There are lots of VPs to be gained securing air strips – don’t be afraid in this scenario to spend some time hopping from island to island capturing airstrips and minor ports, in this game it ensured I had a comfortable buffer of VPs at the end.

 

December 1936

Dec I 36

Insurgent Player Turn

Weather over the Iberian Penisula worsens considerably (Winter in Zone D, Mud in Zone E, Rough in both sea zones). Both sides have supply problems along the border between Andalusia and Murcia, and to a lesser extent along the Cordillera Central. The 2 Av XX is formed from the 2 LE III.

With the Loyalists at Salamanca and the bridge over the Tajo RIver at 2218 both now U-2, the Insurgents are now in a good position to attack. Bad weather doesn’t really hamper the attack at Salamanca (6:1 -1 = DE), but on the attack on the bridge, many causalities result as the attackers are exposed to defensive fire longer as they struggle thru the mud. Still, they manage to take the position (5:1 -3 = EX). In this battles, the Condor Legion gets its first taste of ground combat as the Dro II takes part in the attack, despite the weather being distinctly unsuited to armor tactics.

Loyalist Player Turn

The French border is reopened. Four divisions are formed from 1-strength units: the 6th, 8th, 26th (An), & 30th (Cat). The battleship taskforce suffers accidental mine damage in the harbor at Gijon. With weather not particullarly condusive to active operations, the Loyalists concentrate on shoring up weak sectors of their lines.

Dec II 36

Insurgent Player Turn.

The weather moderates a bit (Mud in Zone D, Clear in Zone E, Rough seas in the Atlantic, Calm in the Med.) but the Insurgent forces are in no condition to lauch any attacks and have to focus on tiding up their lines and taking control of the rail line south of Salamanca, finally establishing firm communications between the northern and southern parts of Insurgent Spain.

Loyalist Player Turn.

Three more divisions are formed from 1-strength units, the 1st, 25th (An), & 28th (An), as the Loyalists continue to be content to make small adjustments in their lines.

August I 1941

We’ve finished the August I turn with about 65 Soviet losses and few, if any German losses. The breakdown by army group is as follows.

AGN: The Finns captured Vipurri on a DR after a big dogfight over the city were three Finnish fighters were aborted. One Russian bomber was shot down and a couple of fighters were aborted. South of Leningrad the Germans took two hexes (one on a DH) in the now solid front line amidst the swamps and rivers. The Russians are busy digging in.

AGC: Raillines were repaired and Smolensk was taken but no real combat took place. The army group is advancing a solid line of counters that looks like the Great Wall of China, but there is not much space behind them to Moscow.

AGS: Starvation began to set in amongst the defenders of Kiev, but no assault was made. A planned German assault on Odessa was called off at the last moment when Soviet flak aborted three German bombers flying ground support. The Soviet navy did manage to run more supplies into the garrison, but at a cost of another hit on a CA.

Generalstab Update, 18.2.2000

The last missing turn of Freds FWTBT-game report has now gome online, thanks to Fred, who mailed the missing turn to me. I’ve added another game report by Robert Williams as well. Currently there are no new updates in the pipeline, other that I’m going to do a little restructuring like putting all of the pages into tables to enhance navigation.

What went wrong – or the Axis commander lament

I have never thrown such rubbish dice in any game I have played before –
honest! Most of the time all I needed was to roll 4+ on a dice to get an EX
or HX result which would have hurt the Finns enough to allow a break in
their lines and allow me to use my superior numbers effectively. On average
my die rolls were 1 or 2 – not good when modifiers are -2 at least. Even in
Sweden and Denmark I was ineffective, especially the horrific AR result in
Feb II which destroyed nearly half of available German land units.

In retrospect I should have held off German intervention until April or May,
but I when saw snake eyes for Allied intervention followed by double sixes
totally freaked me out and I took the earliest oppurtunity to get across the
Baltic – just like any decent paranoid dictator would do in a similar
position. The Fort in 4717 never had a die roll higher than 3 against it
and the arrival (albeit spasmodically due to the Allies sending troops off
into Denmark) of British and French units in Finland meant I was never able
to effectively break through the Finnish lines.

As to Denmark I am still in shock. I can’t believe I could destroy a
handful of garish yellow counters – unsupplied and unsupported – the Govt
escaped me twice and the recapture of Aarhus and the sudden arrival of mud
(preventing the 14th Motorised MG II capturing Thyboron and thus giving the
Allies an open door) really put a kink in the Third Reichs plans. 4 Hour
War my foot!

These are my excuses – the only one I haven’t included is the possibility I
might be a crap player, but I prefer to blame the dice and the cardboard 8-)

Cheers – Bob

May I 40

M,C,C,C & C,C

Axis Player Turn

With clear crisp and sunny weather throughout most of the theatre, the
Soviets launch a massive offensive – not on the thrice accursed 4717, but on
4615. Despite the improved wether, the sun obviously dazzled the troops
eyes and caused the attack to go in half botched and the Soviets again flee
from battle (3:1 -2 = AR). This isn’t the worst of it when an attack
against the interfering French to the north is a veritable disaster and half
the attacking force are slaughtered (3;1 -3 = AH). Comrade Stalin is
blubbing mess cringing under his desk in the Kremlin.

At Aarhus the Germans assault and seize the city, pushing out the Danish
defenders (3:1 = DH). As a sop to Berlin the Danish Govt is captured.
[This I can say with all honestly was the high point of the entire game for
me] London is most embarrassed at leaving an Ally in such an exposed
position.

Allied Player Turn

In Denmark the allies go onto the offensive – Estyjerg on the west coast is
occupied by the Swedish 1st XX while the Allies attack and destroy the 196
XX (4:1 = DE). Only a handful of units protect the northern border and
Kiel. Hmmmm.

In Finland, just to rub it in, the French counterattck with Finns from the
north against the survivors who attacked them earlier. By blocking retreat
paths the Allies destroy the remaining Soviets who are forced to retreat
from the battle.

Molotov and Beria give Uncle Joe the tap on the shoulder and suggest its
time to talk peace with the Finns and their western Allies and the game ends
by mutual agreement.

Apr II 40

S,M,M,M & R,C

Axis PLayer Turn

Attempts to locate the British Fleet at sea by the LW fail. The Denmark
front is quiet.

In Finland an all out effort to break into the terrain behind the Mannerheim
Line is made – massive air battles break out as the Allied fighters try to
prevent the Soviets backing up their land forces with air support. The
results are suprisingly blood free – lots of rtb results but no aborts or
kills. On the ground the defenders are pushed back (4:1 -3 = DR, again an
EX or HX would have been nice).

Allied Player Turn

The two eastern most hexes of the Mannerheim are abandoned and a fall back
to behind the Vuoksa River begins – Viipuri is fortified.

Apr I 40

S,S,M,M & R,R

Axis Player Turn

In Denmark and attack on the 44th HC XX fails (AS) while the Luftwaffe go
searching for the Royal Navy off the coast. Contact is made and AA fails to
prevent the LW anti shipping planes scoring hits on the Rodney and Valiant.

At 4717 another attack is launched through the mud and this time the NKVD
holds the troops in position (changes AR to AS – why can’t I get an EX or HX
result???)

The Finns (23rd and 6th XXs) are pushed back from their position north of
Ladoga, opening a hole into the Allied lines. (4:1 -2 = DR)

NE of Salla the Finns are overrun in a HX result, leaving the surviving NKVD
III just outside the town.

Allied Player Turn

To cover Salla, two Finnish Ski units head north while RVV 1 X* skis from
Suomussalmi to Kuosamo and is replaced by RVV2 Lt Inf X*.

In Denmark the 13 DBLE and Poles arrive and the Allies spread out over the
peninsular.

Mar II 40

S,M,M,M & C,C

Axis Player Turn

The big thaw hits the region. Allanurti falls to an attack by 2 Soviet XXs
and a NKVD III (6:1 -4 = DR). At Joensuu, the British forces in Finland
(5th XX cadre, Scots Guards and 51st Artillery) hold off two Soviet Corps
courtesy of the melted river.

At 4717, wading through the mud and rain, over six divisions with attached
engineers, armour and artillery are slaughtered by the defending Finns (AE
result). Stalin is devastated. A bright spot in his day is the destruction
of the cadred remnants of the British 42nd EL XX and Finnish 6th XX (5:1 -3
= EX)

In Denmark, a couple of German units are rebuilt and head towards the battle
line in the Jutland Peninsular.

Allied Player Turn

French units arrive to take up positions south of Lake Simpele to back up
the Finns holding forward areas. The French are joined by the Vickers tanks
of the 1st Armoured battalion.

The UVV and LVV are intercepted and interned by the Germans enroute to
Finland. This doesn’t trouble the Finns overly, much to the annoyance of
Uncle Joe.

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