Month: April 2015 (Page 2 of 2)

Iraqi Coup force and Axis Iraq intervention force dispositions [at turn’s start]:

In the Central Iraq region:

Baghdad (22A:2825):

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 Mxd 1A2 1/8 [operative]

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

1 x 1-6* Inf XX 1

• Still Black-U-1 this Allied initial phase. Unable to trace to a general supply source.

In the Northern Iraq region:

1 x Mxd 2A3 1-1/16 (LW)

• Technically becomes Red U-3 this turn, but is determined to be in general supply in the Allied initial phase via the gsp’s in the Mosul hex.

1 x Ju 52 1T2 0/20 (LW)

• Technically becomes Red U-1 this turn, but is determined to be in general supply in the Allied initial phase via one of the two gsp’s in the Mosul hex.
• At the beginning of the Allied movement phase the LW Ju 52 1T2 type air unit at Mosul does a non-phasing air transfer mission back to the 3-cap permanent airfield at the Rodi point city/standard port hex (20A:2230) on the South Aegean island of Rodi.

2 gsp’s generated in the May II 41 Axis initial phase. Here at the start of the turn.

Allied movement, end of turn dispositions, and commentary:

In Iraq:

In the Central Iraq region:

Rutbah (21A:5023):

1-cap permanent airstrip [Allied controlled]

Habbaniya (22A:2828) [end of turn]:

1 x 1-8 Inf X 17 (Ind)

• This Coup Turn 6/Jun II 41 Allied turn Iraqi Coup Reaction Forces Conditional Reinforcement disembarks at Basra (22A:4313) and is air transported to the Habbaniya airfield by the Bombay air unit, which stages from Nasiriya (22A:3919).

1 x Glad 3F3 0/8 [never moved]

1 x Audax 1A1 1/8 [never moved]

1 x Bombay 1T2 1-2/15

• In the movement phase the Bombay T type air unit air transports the Ind 1-8 Inf X 17 to here from Basra, after staging to there from Nasiriya.

Hindiya (22A:3025) [point city canal intensive secondary rail line hex; end of turn]:

1 x 2-8 Inf X 25 (Ind) [regular moved from 22A:3822]

one step of attack supply [moved 5 hexes using smp’s from 22A:3524]

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

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

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

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

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

1 x 8* Inf XX HQ 10 (Ind) [regular moved from 22A:2926]

1 x 1-6 Inf X 20 (Ind) [regular moved from 22A:2926]

22A:2725 [canal intensive secondary rail line hex E of the Tigris River; NE of Baghdad; end of turn]:

1 x 2-8 Inf X 24 (Ind) [regular moved from Habbaniya (22A:2828)]

22A:2824 [clear terrain secondary rail line hex E of Baghdad; end of turn]:

1 x 2-8 Inf X 21 (Ind) [regular moved from 22A:2725]

In the Northern Iraq Region [end of turn; the Allied unit is in general supply]:

Erbil (21A:3605) [point city road/secondary rail line terminus hex; end of exploitation]:

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

• This c/m unit begins the turn adjacent to Baghdad at 22A: 2726, to the NW. It first breaks away from the siege of Baghdad and moves NW mainly along the major rail line, but capturing all the rail line hexes along the way. By the end of the movement phase it is at major rail line hex 21A:4109.
• In the exploitation phase it follows the major rail line hexes to Mosul (21A:3509), enters and captures the dot city hex (destroying the 2 Axis gsp’s left there), and then veers eastwards along the road hexes to Erbil (21A:3605), where it ends its exploitation move.

End of movement phase Axis air unit activity:

• Seeing that the Allied player is rapidly advancing towards Mosul with his Habbforce c/m X unit in the movement phase, the Axis player takes no chances and promptly does a non-phasing air transfer mission of the LW Mxd 2A3 1-1/16 air unit based (operative) at Mosul back to the 3-cap permanent airfield at the Rodi point city/standard port hex (20A:2230) on the South Aegean island of Rodi.

In the Southern Iraq region:

Allied Conditional Reinforcements

Iraqi Coup Reaction Forces

Coup Turn 6/Jun II 41 Allied Turn

Near East:

Arrive:

1 x 1-8 Inf X 17 (Ind)

• This Conditional Reinforcement disembarks at Basra (22A:4313) and then is air transported to the Habbaniya airfield (22A:2828) by the Bombay T type air unit, staging from Nasiriya (22A:3919).

• F. Watson’s “Iraq” Europa Battle Scenario Allied OB shows two steps of attack supply arriving via the Persian Gulf this turn at Basra, along with the Ind 1-8 Inf X 17 Conditional Reinforcement. I’m not sure if this is an errata correction to the WitD Allied OB Iraqi Coup Reaction Forces Conditional Reinforcements OB found on p. 5, or if he is simply sea transporting them to Basra via the Indian Ocean (using East Med/Indian Ocean NTP’s) from the Middle East Command’s presumably available and ready quantity of attack supply found on the Western Desert map group specially for his “Iraq” battle scenario, in case they’re needed there for late game play action. In any event, for now I’m “provisionally” bringing Watson’s 2 steps of attack supply into the special WW ME/“Iraq Campaign” Scenario demonstration, although I reserve the right to change my mind later and pull them out, if new information comes forth implying maybe they should be removed.

Basra (22A:4313) [dot city/major port]:

Allied standard Supply Terminal marker

three steps of attack supply

• One attack step never moved, being a Coup Turn 3/May I 41 Allied Turn Conditional Reinforcement arrival. The other two attack steps are per Watson’s “Iraq” Europa battle scenario Allied OB arrivals for this turn; upon arrival at Basra they disembark in the hex.

Shaibah (22A:4314):

3-cap permanent airfield [Allied controlled]

In Palestine [end of turn]:

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

1 x Well 1C 3NB4 2-9/28

• This is the “strategic air reserve” of the prolonged Iraq campaign. This turn it does the GS air mission in the Syrian campaign; but if needed in Iraq it’s available, due to its long range, at least for GS air missions. It stays at Haifia for a possible DAS mission next turn in the Levant.

End of turn Axis/German Intervention air unit dispositions:

Rodi (20A:2230) [point city/standard port; on the South Aegean island of Rodi; end of turn]:

1 x Ju 52 1T2 0/20 (LW) [inoperative]

1 x Mxd 2A3 1-1/16 (LW) [inoperative]

• For the fourth time in the special ME/“Iraq Campaign” Scenario demonstration, the Allied player in the Axis initial phase prior to the reinforcements segment checks for an Iraqi Coup Collapse by a dice roll using the Variable Iraqi Coup Collapse Table to determine results. There is a +1 Modifier for the Allied-owned dot city of Basra and there is another +1 Modifier “if a rail connection (per Rule 7A1) cannot be traced from an Axis-owned Baghdad to an Axis-owned dot city in Iraq.” Finally, there is a -1 Modifier “if an Axis air unit is in Iraq.” This tallies to a factored +1 Dice Roll Modifier on the Table, which in any dice roll result would not be enough to result in a Coup Collapse, and so the roll effort is not done.

• For those who may want to know, in the off-map portion of the larger ME Campaign Scenario from which the special cropped ME/“Iraq Campaign” Scenario is derived, the Allied invasion of Vichy Levant began on the prior Jun I 41 Allied turn, as historical. The Allied forces used in the Syrian campaign done off-map in the larger ME Campaign Scenario are taken from the Allied Initial Forces found in F. Watson’s “Syria” Europa battle scenario, published in TEM#81, minus of course the forces listed there that are used in our special “Iraq Campaign” demonstration. Some minor differences in the off-map ME Campaign Scenario’s Vichy Levant campaign from Watson’s “Syria” battle scenario Jun I 41 Allied at start are that in the off-map Vichy Levant campaign both the 0-8 Marine Cmdo II ME and the Well 1C 3NB4 type air unit begin in Palestine, and the step of attack supply “at H-3 Pump Station” (21A:5025) in Watson’s battle scenario is found in the off-map ME Campaign Scenario in Palestine along with the other two steps of attack supply there on the Jun I 41 Allied turn. The Br Hurri 1 F type and the Blen 4 B type air units also in Palestine now (per Watson’s “Syria” battle scenario) are probably the survivors from Greece and Crete. The other available ME Command Br Hurri 1 F type air unit is at Tobruch (18A:4817); and the ME Command’s SAAF Hurri 1 F type, the other Br Blen 4 B type, and the Br A-22 A type air units are in the Libya-Egypt border zone, facing the Afrika Korps besieging Tobruch. The long-ranging SAAF P-40C 5F5 1/13 air unit is in Egypt, along with the second Br Glad F type air unit in the ME Command. The other Br Glad air unit is certainly at Habbaniya, in our game.

Allied dispositions:

In the Central Iraq region [all Allied forces here are in general supply]:

Rutbah (21A:5023):

1-cap permanent airstrip [Allied controlled]

22A:2725 [canal intensive secondary rail hex E of the Tigris River; NE of Baghdad]:

1 x 2-8 Inf X 21 (Ind)

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

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

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

1 x 0-1-4 Static II 1 As (Col) [this is the static II originally from Habbaniya]

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

1 x 8* Inf XX HQ 10 (Ind):

1 x 1-8 Ind X 20 (Ind)

1 x 0-1-4 Static II 2 As (Col) [this is the static II originally from Shaibah]

Habbaniya (22A:2828):

3-cap permanent airfield

1 x 2-8 Inf X 24 (Ind)

1 x Glad 3F3 0/8 [operative]

1 x Audax 1A1 1/8 [operative]

1 x Bombay 1T2 1-2/15 [operative]

In the Southern Iraq region [all Allied forces here are in general supply]:

Basra (22A:4313) [dot city/major port]:

Allied standard Supply Terminal marker

one step of attack supply

Shaibah (22A:4314):

3-cap permanent airfield [Allied controlled]

22A:3822 [canal intensive secondary rail hex]:

1 x 2-8 Inf X 25 (Ind)

22A:3524 [canal intensive secondary rail hex]:

one step of attack supply

Axis Intervention in Iraq forces on the South Aegean Island of Rodi at the turn’s start:

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

3-cap permanent airfield

1 x Ju 52 1T2 0/20 (LW)

4 gsp’s, generated at the standard port hex of Rodi in the Jun I 41 Axis initial phase per Rule 12C2a.

• In the movement phase the Ju 52 T type air unit air transports two of the gsp’s at the Rodi airfield on a “1-way regular transport mission at extended range” (see Rule 23B-Extended Range) to the Mosul dot city hex (21A:3509) in Iraq, exactly 60 hexes—3X its range.

Iraqi forces and Axis/German forces in Iraq movement, end of movement phase dispositions, and commentary:

In the Central Iraq region [end of turn dispositions]:

Baghdad (22A:2825) [end of turn]:

Iraq capital marker

1 x 1-2-6 Inf XX 3 [never moved]

1 x 1-6* Inf XX 2 [never moved]

1 x 0-1-6* Inf XX 4 [never moved]

1 x Mxd 1A2 1/8 [never moved]

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

1 x 1-6* Inf XX 1

• Becomes Black U-1 this Axis initial phase; regular moves from 21A:4704 to Baqubah, thereby recapturing this city and airbase for the Axis/Coup Iraqis.

In the Northern Iraq region [end of turn dispositions]:

Mosul (21A:3509) [dot city]:

1 x Ju 52 1T2 0/20 (LW) [began turn at Rodi airfield (20A:2230)]

2 gsp’s

• The gsp’s on-map at Mosul at the end of the Axis turn were generated this Jun I 41 Axis initial phase at the Rodi (20A:2230) standard port hex and then air transported to Mosul in the movement phase. The two gsp’s on-map at Mosul at the start of the Axis turn that were generated in the May II 41 Axis initial phase were removed from the map at the end of the Jun I 41 Axis initial phase, per Rule 12C4 and the WW Master Sequence of Play.

1 x Mxd 2A3 1-1/16 (LW) [never moved]

• Technically Red U-2, but in general supply via one of the gsp’s in the Mosul hex.
• After a hard look at the Allied dispositions in the Baghdad zone, the Axis player concludes that next turn it is unlikely Allies will attempt their needed big attack at the Baghdad partial city hex. And so for this reason, and also the upcoming conversion considerations, the Mxd A type air unit is left at the remote Mosul airbase and does not now air transfer closer to Baghdad.

Allied air unit activity in Iraq late in the Axis exploitation phase:

Nasiriya (22A:3919) [reference city;end of turn]:

1 x Bombay 1T1 1-2/15 [inoperative]

• Late in the Axis exploitation phase this air unit transfers to here from Habbaniya (22A:2828).

Commentary: The whole Axis turn is perhaps typical of a “prolonged” Iraqi campaign as depicted in this particular special WW ME Campaign Scenario demonstration situation, I think. But the Axis player is biding his time and keeping his meager core forces at the Baghdad hex, forcing the Allies to tediously maneuver and slowly consolidate for a partial city hex battle there. The Axis player thinks the best strategy now is to maneuver to delay as many turns as possible an Iraqi Coup collapse/surrender by using the resources and territory available. Both sides’ game play is very tricky and convoluted; a mistake or miscalculation only hastens the undesired wargame situation for that side. Should the Coup Iraqis and the Axis Intervention forces maneuver and combine for an attack this turn against the Ind 2-8 Ind X 21 at 22A:2725? Or should the Iraqi 1-0-8 Lt Arm X 1 attempt to break out of Baghdad this turn and rum amok, forcing the Allies to waste a turn in a chase-down and kill? Well, I didn’t do either, this turn.

The special “Iraq Campaign” Scenario demonstration has been great fun for me at the wargame table. Even though it superficially might have the appeal of a small highway chicken stand compared to the bigger and grander Europa campaign games, the WW design product makes the Iraq campaign in its broader WW ME Campaign Scenario aspect a fascinating and convoluted labyrinth of wargame play. I’ve spent hours analyzing the Allied forces means of approach to the Iraqi Coup redoubt at Baghdad and also the prospects of and possibilities for Axis Intervention into the Iraq campaign.

The current WW ME/“Iraq Campaign” Scenario demonstration game play has evolved from a Europa “historical outcome” campaign to what might be defined as a typical “prolonged” Iraqi campaign. In WW Rules play, this probably occurs when the Allies fail to successfully roll a Coup Collapse on the Axis initial phase they have the +5 Modifier “if this is the first turn (only) that a supported allied unit is adjacent to an Iraqi-owned Baghdad,” which was apparently successfully accomplished “historically” in the May II 41 Axis initial phase. In a “prolonged” Iraqi campaign a big battle for the Iraqi partial city hex of Baghdad (22A:2825) apparently becomes the critical wargame event striven for by the Allies to hasten the end of the campaign, many times finished in the ME Campaign Scenario play by using the Optional Rule Variable Iraqi Coup Collapse Table.

In the broader WW ME Campaign Scenario context, in addition to Syrian campaign considerations, this Allied anxiety for “haste” is precipitated by Rule 38I-Iran. Here it says “for game purposes, the Allied player is required to invade Iran. He may not invade (enter) Iran before Aug I 41. He loses 3 VPs during each Allied initial initial phase from Oct I 41 on if he has not invaded Iran. He loses 1 VP during each Allied initial phase if he has not invaded Iran.” Finally, in relation to Axis game play possibilities on the Europa Near East map groups, the rule also says “…Axis forces may enter and operate in Iran without violating Iranian neutrality.” Allied forces may only invade Iran. Although technically Optional Rule 38J6-Axis Intervention in Iraq doesn’t allow any Axis intervention forces to enter Iran, it probably could/should be modified to allow for Axis Intervention forces to enter Iran in the very narrow and limited time range in between the Allied ownership of the Baghdad hex and an Iraqi Coup Collapse occurring via the dice rolls done using the Variable Iraqi Coup Collapse Table in the Axis initial phases.  Of course there’s no way for the Axis to supply them in Iran, but their presence there might help delay Iranian Surrender.

The use of the Ger 2-6 Inf III SV 288 is another issue in the Iraq campaign in Europa, and as an Axis player in a WW ME Campaign Scenario I’ve never wanted to use it. But that’s only because it’s a valuable German unit in the Western Desert map group when it comes in the Med/NA Command on the Oct I 41 turn as a mot inf III. But maybe the Axis player could get it back if he spends a Med/NA Command Ger inf RP prior to receiving it on the Oct I 41 turn, assuming its certain demise if it’s ever air transported into Coup Iraq via a Rules-necessary stop-over in Vichy Levant, assuming only one LW Ju 52 T type air unit is available. However, as I understand it, many of the soldiers of the Ger SV 288 inf III were volunteers from the Bosnia region of Yugoslavia (eg., European Muslims) does apparently make it a wise choice for an Axis intervention to Iraq ground force. An alternative unit I used to toy with decades ago in WD games using the NE module was the Italian para-inf III Tonini, composed as I understand it of “Libyans,” but they may have been Italian colonist Libyans living in the Cyrenaica region rather than the local Islamic natives. So I’m still not sure if Tonini is a suitable alternative to SV 288.  At least Tonini had the honorific “para-infantry” designation so characteristic of the elite Italian fascists and Nazi Germans of the war era called upon to perform these one-way destinations to certain death or captivity.

Remaining is the immediate issue at hand of what to do about the rules error done on the WW ME/“Iraq Campaign” Scenario demonstration’s Jun I 41 Allied turn game report posted at the EA on March 29 (#63414). This involved Rule 9A-[Attack] Procedure in a combat involving the Iraq 1-0-8 Lt Arm X 1 at swamp hex 22A:2822, three hexes E of Baghdad, with the Br c/m X Hab. There was also a subsequent June I 41 Axis turn game report posted later that same Sat. evening (#63415). Because the special Iraq Campaign Scenario demonstration is being done to hopefully popularize the WW ME Scenario Campaign game with the EA audience, and because it’s also being done both “for fun” at the EA and for Europa wargame study and analysis by those interested EA grognards (if any), I’ve decided for a wargame “re-do” of the Jun I 41 game turn. The re-do will commence with a “new” or “revised” Jun I 41 Allied turn ME/“Iraq Campaign” Scenario demonstration game report and will continue on from there. The only change in the original at-start force dispositions will be the location of the Iraq 1-0-8 Lt Arm X 1, which will be placed with the Coup Iraq stack at the Baghdad partial city hex at 22A:2825 instead of its original end of turn placement (done on the May II 41 Axis turn exploitation phase) by itself at swamp hex 22A:2822. Quite a bit of thought was given to placing it at its originally planned spot of 21A:4402, before the last minute change to swamp hex 22A:2822, which led to its attack next turn by the Br 2-1-10* Mot Inf X Hab. But not this time.