Allied Turn

The US converts its 2nd Arm XX, 9th Inf XX, and 36th Inf XX to their SF strengths. The British convert their 1st, 5th, 50th, 56th, and 78th Inf XX’s to their SF strengths. The US replaces its 156th Inf III. The British replace their 33rd Guards Inf X and rebuild their 42nd Arm XX. The US replaces an air group and repairs an air group, and the British repairs an air group. The Allies start quick construction of a new airfield and complete the upgrade of an airfield.

Arriving from the US is the 45th Inf XX, an Eng III, and a mortar II. Arriving from GB are the British 11th Arm XX, 43rd Mixed XX, an Art X, and an Arm II. The US now has 2x Arm XX’s, 1x Abn XX, and 6x Inf XX’s in southern France. The British now have 7x Arm XX’s, 2x Mixed XX’s, 1x Mtn XX, 8x Inf XX’s, the Canadians 1x Arm XX and 2x Inf XX’s, and the Indians 1x Inf XX in southern France.

The US send their 1st and 2nd Arm XX’s down to Nice, where together with the US 3rd and 34th Inf XX’s and the British 43rd Mixed XX they will attempt to push back the Italian stack threatening that city. With 6 Allied fighter groups sitting at Nice, the Italian do not fly any DAS because each air groups lost counts as an RE lost towards the Italian surrender conditions. [Note: SF rule 38.B.2 should probably specify killed air groups as 1 RE and aborted air groups as 1/2 RE.] At odds of 2:1, + 1 the Allies rolls a ‘6’ for a DH. The Italians eliminate 4x Art III’s and 2x Aslt Eng II’s with a total defense strength of 17, and retreat the surviving units into the mountain hex of Imperia along the Ligurian coast. The British Mixed XX and assorted other units advance after them.

Farther north the US 1st and 9th Inf XX’s, the British 1st Inf XX, and the 52nd Mtn XX again will try attacking the Italians in a mountain hex. Here the Allies fly in 9 air groups on GS. Still within the intercept range of Nice the Italian air groups stay on the ground. The Italian AA of 2 aborts 2 and returns 1 leaving the odds at 5:1, -2. The Allies roll a ‘4’ for a DR. The Italians retreat, and the Allies advance the US 9th and British 1st Inf XX’s into the hex.

North of that attack the Canadian 1st and 2nd Inf XX’s and the British 3rd and 51st Inf XX’s likewise attempt to attack an Italian stack in the Maritime Alps. Because of the proximity of German air groups at Grenoble, Lyon, and St. Etienne the Allies fly in a CAP of 10 fighter groups. In the Combat Phase the Allies fly in a GS mission of 9 assorted air groups, which half of their CAP drop out to escort. The Germans intercept with 5 fighter groups, all of whom attempt to bypass. The Allied CAP manages to kill a Fw190 and return a Me109G, but 3 get thru. They could only return a P-38, which even while hanging on to its bomb kills its assailant. Italian AA of 1 return 2, leaving the odds at 5:1, -2. The Allies roll a ‘2’ for an EX. The Italians put 4.5 REs into the Replacement Pool. The British reduce the 51st Inf XX. The British 3rd XX and the US 156th Inf III advance into the hex.

On the west side of the Rhone the Canadian 5th Arm XX and the British Guards, 6th, and 42nd Arm XX’s line up a full ATEC attack against a German Inf XX and Art III in a wooded rough hex. The Allies fly in a CAP of 4 air groups. In the Combat Phase the Allies fly in 5 bomber groups on GS, which 2 fighter groups of the CAP escort. The Germans make no attempt to intercept, but instead fly in 6 air groups on DAS. The last 2 fighter groups in the CAP intercept along with 10 long range fighter groups within intercept range. The Allied fighter groups managed to kill 1, abort 1, and return 1 at the cost of 1 killed and 2 aborted among themselves. Allied AA of 10 misses, leaving odds of 6:1, +1. The Allies roll a ‘2’ for a DH. The Germans reduce their Inf XX and retreat into a mountain hex of the Massif Central. The Canadian Arm XX advances after combat and then exploits into the vacant mountain hex southeast of Millau. During exploitation the 6th Arm XX moves back into the mountain hex 2 hexes north of Ales.

In the final attack the British 1st, 7th, and 10th Arm XX’s, the British 5th, 44th, 50th, 56th, and 78th Inf XX’s, and the Indian 4th Inf XX mass for an attack on the 26th Pz XX. With only 1 German fighter group within range the Allies fly in a CAP of just 1 fighter group. During the Combat Phase the Allies fly in 6 assorted groups on GS, which their lone CAP escorts. The Germans intercept with their last Me109G, which the Spit IX from the CAP kills. The Germans fly their last 3 attack groups, all Fw190A’s, on DAS, which the last 3 Allied long range fighters intercept. The DAS mission kills 2 of the hapless Bftr groups. The German AA of 3 aborts 2 bomber groups. Allied AA of 10 manages to return 1 DAS group, leaving odds of 6:1, -2. The Allies roll a ‘5’ for a DH which reduces the 26th Pz XX to a cadre. During exploitation the British put a 25-pt stack northwest of Montpellier, a 17-pt stack with full ATEC in the woods hex west of Montpellier, and a 25-pt stack in the coastal hex southwest of Montpellier.

Axis Turn

Full this turn is the 2nd Para-Inf XX, and arriving from the east are 4x LR RR Art II’s. Completely out of Arm RP’s the Germans can not replace any c/m units, including the HG Pz XX, nor can they rebuild any of the 3 Pz cadres littering the battlefield. The Germans do replace an Art X. The Italians replace an Alpine XX and an Alpine X. The Germans replace 4 air groups and repair 1. Notably the Germans leave 9 bomber groups in the killed and aborted boxes.

The Italians strengthen a line of 3x 15-pt stacks in mountain hexes from Imperia on the coast northwest into the Maritime Alps. They leave the next 2 hexes undefended because their high mountain hexsides make it impossible for the Allies to advance eastward. The next mountain hex is defended with an 11-pt stack. They leave the hex just east of Gap undefended because its 1 glacier and 2 high mountain hexsides again make it impossible to move east. The Italians defend the mountain hex northeast of Gap with an 8-pt stack, the mountain hex southwest of Grenoble with a 7-pt stack, and Grenoble itself with a 9-pt stack.

The Germans defend the hex northwest of Grenoble with a 9-pt stack and the rough hex on the north bank of the Isere River with 13-pt stack. Retreating out of Valence the Germans defend the clear hex on the north bank of the Isere with the 3rd PzG XX and 2x Inf XX. Defending the rough hex on the other side of the Rhone is the 6th Pz XX. The next 3 hexes, all mountain hexes of the Massif Central, are defended by 4x Inf XX’s. Trying to block the British 6th Arm XX from advancing up the rail line is a 16-pt stack led by the 2nd Para-Inf XX. Holding the west side of the British penetration is the 1st Para-Inf XX. The Germans test what attack they could make against the British 6th Arm XX, and come up with 1.5:1, – 2. They cancel the attack. A weak 10-pt stack hold the northeast side of the penetration by the Canadian 5th Arm XX. The 16th Pz XX holds the northwest side. The 7th Pz cadre and an Art X hold the west side and the 15th PzG holds the southwest side. An attack on the Canadians would produce 2:1, -6, which the Germans quickly cancel. Containing the British bulge west of Montpellier are an 11-pt stack using the 29th PzG XX, a 14-pt stack using the 26th Pz cadre, and a 15-pt stack in Sete using the 44HuD Inf XX. The Axis perimeter around the Allies in southern France is now 26 hexes long, 16 defended by the Germans, and 10, including 3 undefended hexes, held by the Italians.

Jun II VP Check

Former Axis Major Cities: Tunis = 3
Former Axis Medium Cities: Tripoli = 1
Former Axis Naval Bases: Tripoli, Tunis, Bizerte = 3
Net Ground Losses: 0
Net Air Losses: 0
Net Naval Losses: 0
Previous Total: – 4.5 VP’s
New Total: 2.5 VP’s