Allied Turn

The US 5th Inf XX is released from the Iceland garrison and ships towards the Med. The US repair an air group, the British replace an air group and repair 3.

The Allies do not make any attacks east of the Rhone River, the Axis stacks are too strong. Their first attack is against the German Inf XX in the mountain hex east of Millau by the British 6th Arm XX, 43rd Mixed XX, 5th and 56th Inf XX’s, and the US 3rd Inf XX. They fly in a CAP of 8 fighter groups, and then in the combat phase a GS mission of 15 bomber groups (no AA in the hex), which half the CAP escorts. The German air groups stay on the ground. At odds of 9:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘2’ for a DH. The German Inf XX is reduced, and the British 5th Inf XX advances into the hex.

The Allies next attack the weak stack southwest of Millau with the US 1st Arm XX, Canadian 4th Arm XX, British 15th and 53rd Mixed XX’s, British 1st Abn XX, and the British 78th Inf XX. They fly in a CAP of 8 fighter groups, and then a GS mission of 12 assorted groups, which half the CAP escorts. The German air groups stay on the ground. The German AA of 5 aborts 2. At odds of 12:1, -1 the Allies roll a ‘2’ for a DH. The Germans eliminate an Art X and an AA III, and retreat a PzG X. The Allies advance a 42-pt full armor stack into the hex, but it will not be able to overrun the second line.

The final attack is against the wooded rough hex northwest of Beziers by the US 2nd Arm XX, Canadian 5th Arm XX, and the British Guards, 7th, 11th, and 42nd Arm XX’s. The Allies fly in a CAP of 6 fighters groups, and then a GS mission of 12 assorted air groups, which half the CAP escorts. The German air groups stay on the ground. The German AA of 2 aborts 2 and returns 3. At odds of 10:1, even the Allies roll a ‘5’ for a DE. The Germans reduce an Inf XX, and eliminate a Bicycle X, a Tiger II, and an AA II. The Allies advance a 68-pt stack into the hex.

During exploitation this Allied stack overruns a 6-pt stack at 10:1 odds with enough MP’s left over to spread out behind the German second defense line. The British 7th Arm XX and 23rd Arm X reached the town of Carcassonne. The US 2nd Arm XX parks itself in the town of Castres, with the Canadian 5th Arm XX in between it and the 7th Arm XX. The British 11th Arm XX and the 4th Arm X reached the hex northeast of Castres, completing a line of 4 Allied Arm XX’s behind the German second line. Although the German c/m units will be able to extricate themselves, the 4 German Inf XX’s and a Res Mtn XX in the southern corner of France along the coast may not get very far.

Axis Turn

A newly arrived Static XX gets reorganized, as does 2 small Inf XX’s which managed to stay out of enemy ZOC’s. The Germans replace an Inf XX and a Mixed X. The Italians replace 2x Inf XX with their weaker, slower versions.

The Italians slightly strengthen the hexes they are defending in the Maritime Alps. The Germans maintain the strong stacks they have along the north bank of the Isere River and on the west bank of the Rhone, but they have to rail away the second line they were maintaining in this sector to rebuild the western half of their perimeter. The Germans still hold 3 mountain hexes in the Massif Central, but then they hold a straight line for 5 hexes thru rough terrain and 2 more hexes in clear terrain on the south side of the Tarn River. From that point their defense line goes southwest just 2 hexes in front of Toulouse. In the foothills of the Pyrenees their line hooks southeast with 2x Inf XX’s just southwest of Carcassonne. Left behind are an Inf XX and an Inf cadre in a wooded rough hex just east of Carcassonne, and an Inf XX in the minor port of La Nouvelle. By the end of the turn the Germans are defending a line 21 hexes long with an average defense strength of 13 pts.