Allied Turn
The weather roll is a ‘6’ for more mud. The US receives another Arm XX and Inf XX. The US rebuilds their 1st Arm XX and 26th Inf XX. The US replaces 15 units and the British replace an Arm X. The US repairs 9 air groups, the British repair 4, and the French repair 1. The Allies build its German rail capacity up to 16 RE’s and its Italian rail capacity up to 10 RE’s.
The first attack is on a PzG XX in the minor city of Schwerin by the Polish 1st Arm XX and the US 5th and 88th XX’s. The Allies fly in a GS mission of 10 air groups. German AA aborts 1. At 6:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘2’ for an EX. The Germans reduce their PzG XX. The Allies reduce the 88th Inf XX and eliminate an Art X. The US 5th Inf XX advances into the hex.
The second attack is against an 11-pt stack 2 hexes south of Schwerin by the SA 6th Arm XX, the US 17th Abn XX, and the US 2nd Inf XX. The Allies fly in a GS mission of 12 air groups. German AA aborts 2. At 5:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘3’ for an HX. The Germans reduce an Inf XX and eliminate the rest of their stack. The Allies eliminate a US Inf III and Arm II. The US 2nd Inf XX advances into the hex.
The third attack is against an 11-pt stack just southwest of Schwerin by the US 4th and 11th and the French 2nd Arm XX’s. At 5:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘4’ for a DR. Cut off by ZOC’s the German reduce an Inf XX and eliminate the rest of their stack. The US 11th Arm XX advances into the hex.
The fourth attack is against a 13-pt stack in the town of Wittenberge by the US 10th Arm and 79th and 84th Inf XX’s. The Allies fly in a GS mission of 6 air groups. German AA aborts 2 and returns 1. At 7:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘2’ for an HX. The Germans reduce an Inf XX and eliminate the rest of their stack. The Allies reduce the US 84th Inf XX and advance the 79th Inf XX into the hex.
The fifth attack is against a 13-pt stack in the town of Rathenow by the US 1st and 2nd Arm XX’s, the US 1st, 45th and 95th Inf XX’s, and the British 50th Inf XX. The Allies had flown in a CAP, and then fly in a GS mission of 8 air groups. The Germans intercept with 4 fighter groups, all of which bypass. The Allied CAP kills 1 and returns 2. The sole interceptor only manages to get a P-47 to jettison its bombs. German AA aborts 2. At 6:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘6’ for a DE. The Germans reduce an Inf XX and eliminate the rest of their stack. The US 45th Inf XX advances into the hex.
The sixth attack is against a 15-pt stack in the woods just west of Brandenburg by the British Guards Arm XX, the Canadian 4th Arm XX, the US 101st Abn XX, and the US 8th Inf XX. The Allies had flown in a CAP, and then fly in a GS mission of 8 air groups. The Germans intercept with 4 fighter groups, which all by pass. The Allied CAP kills 3. The sole interceptor gets aborted after getting a P-47 to jettison. German AA aborts 1. At 8:1, -3 the Allies roll a ‘1’ for a DR. The US 8th Inf XX advances into the hex.
The seventh attack is against a 13-pt stack just west of the town of Zossen by the US 3rd, British 11th, and Canadian 5th Arm XX’s. The Allies fly in a GS mission of 8 air groups. German AA returns 1. At 5:1, -3 the Allies roll a ‘3’ for an EX. The Germans reduce an Inf XX and eliminate the rest of their stack. The Allies reduce the British Guards Arm XX and advance the Canadian 5th Arm XX into the hex.
The eighth attack is against a 30-pt stack, now U-2, surrounded in a wooded rough hex far behind the lines by the British 1st and 6th Abn XX’s, the US 3rd, 30th, 44th, and 102nd Inf XX’s, and the Canadian 2nd Inf XX. At 8:1, -4 the Allies roll a ‘1’ for a DR. The entire German stack is eliminated.
The ninth attack is against an 11-pt stack just northeast of the town of Riesa by the US 7th and 9th Arm XX, the French 3rd Arm XX, and the US 82nd Abn XX. The Allies fly in a GS mission of 10 air groups. German AA returns 2. At 6:1, -3 the Allies roll a ‘3’ for an EX. The Germans reduce an Inf XX and eliminate the rest of the stack. The Allies reduce the US 9th Arm XX and advance the US 7th Arm XX into the hex.
The tenth attack is against a 9-pt stack in rough terrain in the minor city of Aussig by the French 1st Arm XX. The Allies fly in a GS mission of 12 air groups. German AA misses. At 7:1, -4 the Allies roll a 4 for an HX. The Germans reduce an Inf XX and eliminate the rest of their stack. The Allies eliminate a US Mech X and an Arm II. The French 1st Arm XX advances into the hex.
Map shows the situation in the northern part of the theater on the Nov I 1944 Axis turn in the SF42 game
The eleventh attack is against an 11-pt stack in rough terrain just southwest of Dresden by the US 6th Arm XX and the NZ Mech XX. The Allies fly in a GS mission of 14 air groups. German AA aborts 1 and returns 2. At 7:1, -4 the Allies roll a ‘6’ for a DH. Cut off by ZOC’s the entire German stack is eliminated. The US 6th Arm XX advances into the hex.
The twelfth attack is against an 11-pt stack trying to retreat down the Danube River towards Vienna by the US 5th Arm XX. With only 7 non-artillery RE’s in the attack the Allies could only fly a GS mission of 7 air groups. There is no AA. At 5:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘3’ for an HX. The entire German stack is eliminated. The Allies eliminate a US Art X and an Arm II.
The final attack is against the German Lazio garrison holding out in Rome by the British 61st and French 2nd Inf XX’s. The Allies fly in a GS mission of 16 air groups, composed mostly of long range P-51’s. Rome’s intrinsic AA aborts 2 and returns 4. At 7:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘1’ for a DR. Cut off by ZOC’s the German stack is eliminated and the Allies liberate Rome.
This was another disappointing turn for the Allies as most of their Inf XX’s were unable to reach the front line due to the mud. During exploitation the Allies were unable to find anything they could overrun as the Germans had once again built up a NODL from the Baltic down to Dresden. However, in Austria the US 5th Arm XX exploited adjacent to Vienna.
Axis Turn
Due to the Allied advance the Germans activate WK XX and the Southeast Theater garrison. The Germans receive 2x Inf XX’s and a PzG cadre, and stop 2x PzG XX’s from transferring east. The Germans replace a PzG XX, 9x Inf XX’s, a PzG X, and 8x AA II’s. The Germans replace 4 air groups and repair 1. This air cycle added 18 high quality fighter groups to the German Air OB and a large quantity of ARP’s. The Germans disbanded 62 units, mostly from the Southeast, for 130x Inf RP’s and 21x Arm RP’s.
The German front line starts on the Baltic 2 hexes west of Rostock and runs southeast for three hexes until a wooded intermittent lake hex. It then runs down the west side of the Moritz Lake for 2 hexes and into another wooded intermittent lake hex. From there the front line runs southwest until it reaches the minor city of Brandenburg, just 2 hexes west of downtown Berlin. From Brandenburg the front line run south for 7 hexes until it reaches the major city of Dresden, with Allied stacks adjacent on 3 sides. From Dresden the line runs south for another 5 hexes until the major city of Prag. From Prag the front line runs south for 6 more hexes until southeast of Budweis, where the continuous front ends.
Map shows the situation in the southern part of the theater on the Nov I 1944 Axis turn in the SF42 game
From that point there is an Inf XX in wooded rough terrain on the north side of the Danube, and another Inf XX blocking the Danube valley on the south side of that major river, and finally a Static XX in the Alps. These last 2 stacks cut off the US 5th Arm XX which had advanced adjacent to Vienna. That southernmost German major city is now defended by a cluster of 7x Inf XX’s. The Germans possess 10 major cities and can afford to lose only 3. Vienna and the 2 major cities in Wk BM seem the most vulnerable. By the end of the turn the continuous front line is 29 hexes long and has an average defense strength of 12.5 pts.
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