• This time in the initial phase the Allied player rolls high on the Variable Iraqi Coup Collapse Table and the result is: Coup Collapses. Per Rule 38J4B, which is used in the Variable Coup Collapse/Surrender Optional Rule, “Iraqi territory … becomes Allied owned.” Note this is different than Vichy Levant surrender, where just Vichy French forces surrender, but not the Vichy Levant territory. The Iraqi Mxd 1A2 1/8 air unit at the Karbals dot city airbase (22A:3227) is removed from the map and placed in the Iraq Replacement Pool. In addition, all formerly hostile Coup Iraqi/Axis hexes in Iraq (not occupied by Axis forces) now become Allied-owned, and the Allies capture intact the remaining 1 RE of Iraqi railcap, bringing the Allied railcap total to 3 in the Iraqi railnet, I believe. Rule 42B-Victory Points tells us not to count Iraqi or Iranian force losses, either by combat or by surrender, for the purposes of VP awards counted on the Common Victory Chart found in the WW Scenarios & Appendices booklet.

Allied dispositions:

In Iraq:

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

21A:4318 [clear terrain Syrian border hex]:

1 x 2-1-10* Lt Arm X 9 [conversion of the Br 2-1-10* Mot Inf X Hab unit]

Rutbah (21A:5023):

1-cap permanent airstrip [Allied owned]

Habbaniya (22A:2828):

3-cap permanent airfield

1 x 0-1-4 Static II 1 As (Col)

1 x Audax 1A1 1/8 [operative]

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

Baghdad (22A:2825) [partial city hex]:

one hit on the airbase

1 x 0-1-4 Static II 2 As (Col)

21A:4303 [clear terrain secondary rail hex]:

1 x 1-8 Inf X 17 (Ind)

Khanaquin (21A:4501) [clear terrain secondary rail line terminus point city Iranian border hex]:

1 x 6-8* Inf XX 10 (Ind)

22A:3514 [clear terrain Iranian border hex]:

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

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

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

Allied standard Supply Terminal marker

1 x 8 Inf XX HQ 5 (Ind)

1 x 2-8 Inf X 9 (Ind)

5 steps of attack supply

22A: 4212 [swamp Iranian border hex E of Shatt al Arab, NE of Basra]:

1 x 8* Inf XX HQ 8 (Ind)

1 x 2-8 Inf X 18 (Ind)

1 x 2-8 Inf X 19 (Ind)

Shaibah (22A:4314):

3-cap permanent airfield [Allied owned]

Coup Iraq forces and Axis/German forces on the NE map group:

None.

Allied air unit activity in the Axis exploitation phase:

  • Late in the exploitation phase the Allied player does a non-phasing air transfer mission of the Br Audax 1A1 1/8 and the SAAF P 40C 5F5 1/13 air units based at the Habbaniya airfield (22A:2828) to the Basra dot city airbase (22A:4313).

Commentary:

Turning to the Near East Victory Chart used in ME Campaign Scenarios that is found in the WW Scenarios & Appendices booklet, we read that the Allies suffer a -1 VP count at the “end of each game turn with a pro-Axis government (see Rule 38J4) in power in Iraq.” In the special ME/“Iraq Campaign” Scenario demonstration the Iraqi Coup occurred in the Apr I 41 Axis initial phase. It collapsed/surrendered this turn, in the Aug I 41 Axis initial phase. I count 7 “game turns” where the Allies receive this -1 VP count, for a total of -7 VPs for “a pro-Axis government in power in Iraq.” Note that “historically,” with the Iraqi Coup conveniently collapsing on the May II 41 Axis turn due to the +5 Modifier on the “first turn (only) that a supported Allied unit is adjacent to an Iraqi-owned Baghdad,” the Allies would only suffer a -3 VP count.

Noted in the WW Scenarios & Appendices booklet at Appendix G-Transportation Lines is an important change in the transportation lines at the Shatt-al-Arab zone on NE map 22A. Here it says “the transportation line from 22A:4011 [in Iran] to Basra (22A:4313) [in Iraq] does not exist until the railroad is built. Construction was undertaken following the Anglo-Soviet occupation of Iran and was completed in March 1942. (Actually, only a rail ferry crossed Shatt-al-Arab until mid-1943, when a rail bridge was completed).” Thus in 1941 there is no transportation line at all going between Basra (22A:4313) in Iraq and hex 22A:4011, in Iran; nor is there a bridge crossing the Shatt-al-Arab major river hexside at the 22A:4212/4112 borderline between Iran and Iraq. Moreover, a little farther south, at the Shatt-al-Arab major river hexside at 22A:4411/4409 (Abadan, in Iran), there is evidently no bridge, only the intervening major river borderline hexside with a road leading up to it there through the swamp hexes on either side, I think.