Allied Turn

The weather roll was a ‘2’ for mud in zone D and zone E, and calm sea. The airfield at Port de Bouc upgrades to 6 capacity. In southern France the US replaces 3x c/m ants, and gives the French 1 arm RP. In North Africa the 1st and 2nd SA XX’s are withdrawn. Before the end of the Initial Phase the Allies fly a CAP of 3 fighter groups, all that could reach, over the British TF off Sicily.

The naval patrol stack at Marsala makes contact from 3 hexes away. The 3 fighter groups drop out of CAP to intercept and abort a Ju88 and return a Ju88. AA misses, and the Ju88 misses on its 3 bombing attacks. The Allied player stages in 3x Bftr’s for a new CAP. The naval patrol stack at Cagliari makes contact from 10 hexes away, and flies in 3x Ju88’s and a Ju88C as an escort. The 3x Bftr’s drop out of the CAP, and the Seafire aboard the Formidable joins the interception. The Seafire and Ju88C both miss. A Ju88 is killed, another is aborted, and a third is returned for a Bftr aborted. The Allies stage in a Msqto as a new CAP, but it turns out to be unnecessary as the 1 bomber at Sassari on naval patrol fails to make contact from 17 hexes away. The British TF moves 3 sea boxes at night and is off Bone at dawn. It sails 3 sea boxes in daylight and another 3 sea boxes at night to be west of Alger and within the next naval step of reaching Gibraltar. From there the Nelson, Rodney, and a CA, all damaged with 1 hit, return to GB where their damage will take 2 turns to repair. Along the way they are passed by the BC King George V on its way to take their place.

The supported components of the Canadian 1st and 2nd XX’s, 2x Art X’s, and 2x AA X’s appear just north of Mallorca. After 2 sea boxes in daylight and then 2 sea boxes at night, the convoy finds itself in hex 17A:4916 at dawn. From 16 hexes away in Lyon the only bomber in southern France attempts contact and fails. The Italian naval patrol stack at Genova declines to make an attempt, and the Canadian arrive safely.

In Libya elements of the British army overrun the last Italian roadblock of garrison units, and the leading units get within 2 hexes of Gabes. While in French North Africa the small French divisions hold their positions along the Algerian border. From Alger the Allies fly a port bombing mission using 5 heavies against Tunis. All 5 Axis fighter groups in Tunis intercept. A bomber is aborted and another returned, but the remaining 3 inflict 2 more port hits on Tunis, reducing its capacity to 6. During exploitation the British overrun the small Italian XX in Sfax and advance to within 3 hexes of Sousse. By the end of the turn, inside Tunisia are 4x British Arm XX’s and 9x c/m RE’s. Lined up just inside Libya are 6x Inf XX’s and 5x assorted RE’s.

In southern France the Allies once again build their strongest possible stacks around the German penetration with stacks of 27 pts and 25 pts on either side and stacks of 17 pts and 16 pts along the bottom of the penetration.

The British again send a TF consisting of the Formidable, the modern battleship King George V, 2x CL’s, and 4x DD’s along the coast of North Africa to a point 5 hexes west of Bizerte to intercept any evacuation of Axis units from North Africa.

In GB the Allies load up the British 1st Inf XX, 3x mot AA X’s, and a US AA III, and send them off to the MTO.

US NRP 1
US Inf 12.75
US Arm 17 – 3 -1 = 13
US ARP 17 – 1 = 16

Br NRP 2
Br Inf 15.5
Br Arm 5.5
Aus Inf 4
Can Inf 1
Ind Inf 1.5
Br ARP 51 – 1 = 50

Fr Met .25
Fr Arm 0 + 1 = 1
Fr Af 2
Fr Col 1
Fr ARP 1

Axis Turn

The Axis player is at a decision point. The effort to evacuate units from North Africa had cost 17 RE’s of losses towards the Italian surrender conditions (8 RE’s of warships, 7 RE’s of NT’s, and 2 RE’s of units). Italian units lost on the ground in North Africa don’t count towards Italy’s surrender. The German 15th and 21st Pz XX’s along with the 90th Mot XX, all still in Tunisia, will get replaced for free by the OB. Holding out in Tunisia also delays how quickly the 4x British Arm XX’s in Tunisia can reinforce southern France.

There are no German nor Italian reinforcements in Europe this turn. The Germans choose not to spend any RP’s, hoarding them to rebuild the 7th Pz XX next turn. The Italians choose to replace the supported Mot III of the 131st Arm XX. The Germans replace 2x bombers and repair 2x bombers. The Germans start quick construction of a fort at Fecamp on the English Channel. The Italian replace a Ju87B in North Africa. Before the end of the Axis Initial Phase the Allies fly 3x Spit V’s and 2x Bftr’s into a CAP over the British TF off the coast of Tunisia.

At the start of the movement phase the powerful naval patrol stack at Cagliari attempts contact from 11 hexes away over calm seas, and fails. In the face of 6 Allied fighter groups defending the TF, the 2x bombers assigned to naval patrol at Marsala decline to make an attempt.

In Tunisia the 133rd Arm cadre reaches Bizerte in position for a possible evacuation, while the 4-hex long Axis defense line holds its position.

In Italy the German para units on Sicily retreat back to the mainland, to be strat railed up to northern France. The Italians continue to strengthen their defenses along the northwest coast of Italy.

In southern France the Germans look at an attack against the 1st Canadian XX and the British 3rd Mixed XX, but can get no better than a 2:1, -4 in the mud, a 50% chance of an AE.

Ge Inf 7
Ge Arm 1
Ge ARP 15 – 6 = 9
Res Pts 12 – 1 = 11

It NRP 1
It Inf 4.45 – 1 = 3.45
It Arm 3 – 1 = 2
It ARP 12 – 2 = 10
Res Pts 1