Sep II 41 Axis Turn

End of Turn dispositions

Mainland Europe off-map holding box [end of turn]:

0 Italian inf Replacement Points (RPs) at the end of the Axis I. Phase and the Axis turn:  No It inf RP reinforcements this turn or RP expenditures or movement.
1.5 German inf RPs at the end of the Axis I. Phase and the Axis turn:  No Ger inf RP reinforcements this turn or RP expenditures or movement.
5 Ger ARPs at the end of the I. Phase and Axis turn:  The Axis player began the turn w/ 6 Ger ARPs, but 1 Ger ARP was expended to repair the Me 109E  7F5  1/7 (Ger LW) air unit, which was removed from the Aborted Air Units Box of the Med/NA Command Replacement pool and placed on the map at 18A:4718, SW of Tobruch, at step 14 of the I. Phase.
5 It ARPs at the end of the I. Phase and Axis turn:  The Axis player began the turn w/ 7 It ARPs, but 2 It ARPs were expended to repair the CR 42AS  3F3  1/8 and the MC 200  3F4  1/8 air units.  Both these air units were removed from the Aborted Air Units Box of the Med/NA Command Replacement Pool and placed on the maps at step 14 of the I. Phase.  The CR 42AS F type air unit was placed at 18A:3617, in Libya, and the MC 200 F type air unit was placed at 18A:0403, in Sicily.

In Sicily [end of turn]:

Licata (18A:0102) [point city/minor port]:
3-cap permanent airfield
SM 79-1  2B3  1-5/22 [inop.; began turn here; early in the M. Phase flew a Malta Status bombing mission to the Valletta hex; rolled on the 3 column of the Antiaircraft Fire Table; Hit; rebased here]

Coast hex 18A:0403:
3-cap permanent airfield
MC 200  3F4  1/8 [inop; turn ARP repair, placed here at step 14 of the I. Phase; early in the M. Phase it flew a fighter on a bombing air mission in a larger air op to the Valletta target hex; after the Br Hurri 2 F type air unit flew the Intercept air mission the MC 200 air unit jettisoned its bomb load; rebased here]
CR 42AS  3F3  1/8 [inop.; turn ARP repair; placed at 18A:3617, in Libya, at step 14 of the I. Phase; late in the E. Phase air transferred to here]

Coast hex 18A:0603:
3-cap permanent airfield
Ca 311  2B2  1/L/14 [inop.; began turn at Ain el Gazala (18A:4518), in Libya; late in the E. Phase air transferred to here]

Syracusa (18A:0702) [reference city/minor port]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Augusta (18A:0701) [point city/minor port]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Malta on the Sep II 41 Axis turn:

Malta Status: 11, at the start of the turn, + 1 for Malta Status bombing hits done in the M. Phase prior to the naval movement step, = 12 during this turn’s naval movement step and at the EOT.

Valletta hex (18A:0407) flack this turn: 7 (3 intrinsic + a total of 4 for the two Br 0-1-8 hv AA IIs’ 2 flack factors each, as this turn these two ground units are in special general supply via the 4 gsp’s successfully sea transported from Alexandria to Malta on the Sep II 41 Allied turn)

On this turn Malta Status air missions to the Valletta hex would roll on the 3 column of the Antiaircraft Fire Table, shifted two columns to the left, Per WW Rule 37I2a.

There were 4 gsp’s present in the Valletta hex at the start of the Axis player turn, and 5 REs of ground units on Malta. The Allied player designates the 0-4 Cons X MC as the designated 1 RE unit that is definitely Red U-2.  The Br Hurri 2 F type air unit based at Valletta is in “special air unit supply” per WW Rule 24I3-Allied Malta Special Air Unit Supply.  The gsp’s beginning the turn at Malta were generated at Alexandria on the Sep II 41 Allied turn and sea transported to Valletta in the M. Phase of that turn.

Libya [end of turn]:

Tripolitania Garrison Box:
0-1-6* Inf III 290 GaF
0-1-6* Inf III 340 GaF
0-1-6* Inf III 350 GaF
0-2-6* Inf III 330 GaF

Tripoli (18A:0121) [clear terrain dot city/major port hex transportation line junction coast hex]:
Axis Supply Terminal marker
fort marker
0 pos flk unit  AA=3 [Italian]
5 steps of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]
4.5 Ger arm Replacement Points (RPs) [began turn here, stored at the standard supply terminal; neither expended nor moved this turn]
4 It inf RPs [began turn here; neither expended nor moved this turn]
2 Ger inf RPs [began turn here; neither expended nor moved this turn]

18A:0122 [Castel Benito; clear terrain secondary rail line hex, S of Tripoli]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Homs (18A:0522) [rough terrain point city/minor port road junction coast hex]:
one step of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]

Misurata (18A:1022) [clear terrain point city coast road hex]:
1-cap temporary airfield
He 111H4  4B4  2-7/22 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn at Bengasi (18A:3121); late in the E. Phase air transferred to here]

18A:1327 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
one step of attack supply [began turn at 18A:0925; in the E. Phase spent 5 SMPs exploiting to here]

Sirte (18A:1727) [clear terrain point city coast road hex]:
fort marker
3-cap permanent airfield

18A:2730 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

El Agheila (18A:2930) [clear terrain point city coast road hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip

Agedabia (18A:3327) [clear terrain point city road junction hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip

Bengasi (18A:3121) [clear terrain reference city/major port transportation line junction hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
12 port damage hit markers
4 pos flk  AA=1 [Italian; began turn here; never moved]
1-6 Inf III A [began turn here; unsupported breakdown component of the 3-6 Inf XX 25 Bol; never moved]
one step of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]

Soluch (18A:3222) [clear terrain point city secondary rail terminus hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

18A:3423 [stony desert road hex, SE of Zaulet Msus]:
8 Mot Inf XX HQ 101 Tre [began turn at 18A:1427; admin moved 16 hexes along the coast road to 18A:3029; exploited to here]
1-8 Mot Inf III 65 [began turn at 18A:1427; admin moved 16 hexes along the coast road to 18A:3029; exploited to here]
1-8 Mot Inf III 66 [began turn at 18A:1427; admin moved 16 hexes along the coast road to 18A:3029; exploited to here]
18A:3617 [rough terrain road hex]:

3-cap permanent airfield
CR 42  3F3  0/9 [inop; began turn at Ain el Gazala (18A:4518); late in the E. Phase air transferred to here]
CR 42  3F3  0/9 [inop.; began turn at Ain el Gazala; late in the E. Phase air transferred to here]

18A:3618 [Maraua; rough terrain road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Derna (18A:4116) [rough terrain point city/minor port coast road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
3 port damage hit markers
6 Inf XX HQ A [began turn here; unsupported breakdown component of the 3-6 Inf XX 25 Bol; never moved]
0-6 Lt AA II  AA=1  38 [began turn here; never moved]
BR 20M  3NB4  2-5/24 [inop.; began turn here; in the middle of the E. Phase it flew a night strat port bombing air mission to Matruh (19A:1218), in Egypt; Returned by the Matruh flack; rebased here]
Br 20M  3NB4  2-5/24 [inop.; began turn here; in the middle of the E. Phase it flew a night strat port bombing air mission to Matruh, in Egypt; Miss; rebased here]
Ju 87B  2D3  4-1/8 [inop.; Italian; began turn at 18A:0603, at Sicily; late in the E. Phase it flew an air transfer air mission to here]
1 Ger inf RP [began turn here; neither expended nor moved this turn]
1 It inf RP [began turn here; neither expended nor moved this turn]

18A:4218 [stony desert road hex]:
one step of attack supply [began turn at El Ageheila (18A:2930); in the E. Phase spent 18 SMPs exploiting to here]

18A:4317 [stony desert road hex]:
0-6 Cons III 5 A [began turn at 18A:4719; regular moved to here]

18A:4417 [stony desert road junction hex, NW of Ain el Gazala]:
0-6 Cons III 10 A [began turn at 18A:4819; regular moved to here]

Ain el Gazala (18A:4518) [clear terrain point city coast road hex]:
3-cap temporary airfield
8 Inf XX HQ 102 Trn [began turn here; never moved]
Ju 88A4  4B5  3-7/26 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn at Sirte (18A:1327); early in the E. Phase flew a tac bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; first staged to 18A:3618 (Maraua); Returned by Tobruch’s flack; rebased here]
Ju 88A4  4B5  3-7/26 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn at Sirte (18A:1327); began turn here; early in the E. Phase flew a tac bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; first staged to 18A:3618 (Maraua); Returned by Tobruch’s flack; rebased here]
Ju 88A4  4B5  3-7/26 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn at Sirte (18A:1327); early in the E. Phase flew a tac bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; first staged to 18A:3618 (Maraua); evaded Tobruch’s flack and bombed the airfield; Hit; rebased here]

18A:4618 [clear terrain coast road hex, SE of Ain el Gazala]:
1-6 Inf III A [began turn here; never moved]

18A:4520 [sand hex]:
0-1-6* Inf III 280 GaF [began turn at 18A:4720; regular moved 2 hexes to here]

18A:4619 [clear terrain hex]:
0-8 Cons III Afr (Ger) [began turn at Porto Bardiya (19A:0318); regular moved to here; in so doing it abandoned the 1-cap temporary airfield it began constructing there on the Sep I 41 Axis turn, w/ 2 MPs already spent towards construction]
2-3-8 Art III 16 C [began turn at Porto Bardia; regular moved to here]

18A:4719 [clear terrain hex]:
3-6 Inf XX 55 Sav [began turn at 18A:4819; moved one hex to here]

18A:4718 [clear terrain coast road hex; SW of Tobruch]:
fort marker
3-cap temporary airfield
5-8* Inf XX 90 LA (Ger) [began turn here; never moved]
1-8 Aslt Eng II 31 G [began turn here; never moved]
2-10 Mot Inf III 9 B [began turn at 18A:2227; admin moved along the road to 18A:3821; exploited to here]
0-1-10 Mot Lt AA II  AA=1  617 (Ger) [began turn at 18A:2227; admin moved along the road to 18A:3821; exploited to here]
MC 200  3F4  1/8 [inop.; began turn at 18A:4918, SE of Tobruch; early in the E. Phase flew a fighter on a bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; evaded Tobruch’s flack and bombed the airfield; Hit; rebased here]
Ju 87B  2D3  4-1/8 (Ger LW) [inop.; began the turn here inoperative; in the previous Sep II 41 Allied turn it flew the Harassment air mission]
SM 79-2  2B3  3-4/V/20 [operative; began turn here; never moved]

18A:4818 [clear terrain road hex; S of Tobruch]:
3-cap temporary airfield
7-6-8 Arm XX 132 Ar [began turn here; never moved]
2-3-6 Art III 24 C [began turn at 18A:4718, SW of Tobruch; regular moved one hex to here]
Me 110D  5HF5  4-2/12 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn here; early in the E. Phase flew a fighter on a bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; evaded Tobruch’s flack and bombed the airfield; Hit; rebased here]
G 50bis  3F3  0/10 [operative; began turn here; never moved]
Ju 87B  2D3  4-1/8 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn here; early in the E. Phase flew a tac bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; evaded Tobruch’s flack and bombed the airfield; Miss; rebased here]

18A:4918 [clear terrain coast road hex; SE of Tobruch]:
3-cap temporary airfield
fort marker [completed on the Sep I 41 Axis I. Phase]
3-6 Inf XX 17 Pav [began turn here; never moved]
1-8 Inf III 61 [began turn here; never moved]
1-8 Inf III 62 [began turn here; never moved]
3-4-6 Art III 5 A [began turn here; never moved]
Me 109F1  6F6  1/8 (Ger LW) [inop.; began turn here; early in the E. Phase flew the Escort air mission with the big Axis air op flying to the Tobruch target hex; engaged in aerial combat w/ the Br Hurri 1 F type air unit based at Tobruch; rolled a (-); rebased here]
Me 109E  7F5  1/7 (Ger LW) [inop.; turn ARP repair; placed at 18A:4718, SW of Tobruch, at step 14 of the I. Phase; early in the E. Phase flew the Escort air mission with the big Axis air op flying to the Tobruch target hex; engaged in aerial combat w/ the Br Hurri 1 F type air unit based at Tobruch, after its initial combat w/ the Me 109F1 air unit; rolled an Abort; rebased here]
MC 200  3F4  1/8 [inop.; began turn here; early in the E. Phase flew a fighter on a bombing air mission to the Tobruch target hex in a large air op; evaded Tobruch’s flack and bombed the airfield; Miss; rebased here]

18A:4919 [clear terrain hex]:
1-10 Mot AT II 605 (Ger) [began turn at 19A:0218; regular moved to here; remained in the hex]
1-6 Hv AA II  AA=1  29 [began turn at 18A:4718, SW of Tobruch; regular moved to here]
3-4-8 Art III 221 (Ger) [began turn at 18A:4818, S of Tobruch; regular moved one hex to here]

18A:5017 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
1-6 Tnk II 4 [began turn here; never moved]
1-8 Mot Art III 2 AC [began turn here; never moved]

18A:5118 [clear terrain coast road hex]:
3-6 Inf XX 27 Brs [began turn at 18A:4620; regular moved to here]

19A:0218 [clear terrain road junction hex, SE of Porto Bardiya]:
2-1-8 Lt Arm III 32 [began turn at 18A:5118; moved one hex to here; remained in the hex]
1-8 Mot Art III 1 AC [began turn here; never moved]
1-8 Mot Art III 3 AC [began turn at 18A:5118; moved one hex to here; remained in the hex]
one step of attack supply [began turn here; never moved]

Porto Bardiya (19A:0318) [clear terrain unimproved fortress/point city/minor port road terminus coast hex]:
unimproved fortress
5 port damage hit markers
vacant at the end of the M. Phase

19A:0319 [clear terrain coast road hex, S of Porto Bardiya]:
9-10 Pz XX 21 (Ger) [began turn here; in the M. Phase it moved along the Egyptian coast road to Sidi Barrani (19A:0718), and then double backed to here, capturing Sidi Barrani and the Egyptian coast road hexes in between for the Axis; afterwards remained in the hex]
2-10 Mot Inf III 7 B [began turn here; never moved]
1-10 Mot Hv AA II  AA=2  I/33 (Ger LW) [began turn here; never moved]

19A:0219 [clear terrain hex]:
9-10 Pz XX 15 (Ger) [began turn here; never moved]
3-10 Mot Inf III 115 (Ger) [began turn here; never moved]
1-10 Mot Hv AA II  AA=2  I/18 (Ger LW) [began turn here; never moved]

Crete [end of turn]:

Khania (18A:4403) [rough terrain reference city/standard port road terminus coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Erakleion (18A:4903) [rough terrain reference city/standard port coast road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

On Scarpanto [end of turn]:

Scarpanto (19A:0701) [rough port point city minor port hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

At Rodi [end of turn]:

Rodi (20A:2230) [clear terrain point city/standard port coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

20A:2331 [rough terrain coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Med/NA Replacement Pool [end of turn]:
1 x 2-6 Inf XX 60 Sbr
1 x 2-10 Mot Inf III 10 B
1 x 2-1-8 Lt Tnk III 3
2 x 1-8 Lt Tnk X 1,2
5 x 1-6 Tnk II 1, 3, 5, 6, 21
1 x Para Inf III Tonini
3 x 0-1-6* Inf III 300 GaF, 310 GaF, 320 GaF
1 x 3-4-6 Art III 24 dM
3 x 2-3-6 Art III 10 C, 20 C, 21 C
1 x 1-6 Art III 23 C
1 x 3-4-6 Art III 8 A [Jun I 41 Axis turn reinf; sunk in sea transit to Libya that turn by Allied anti-shipping, per the Naval Table]
4 x 0 pos flk unit AA=1 [Italian]

Med/NA Aborted Air Units Box:

G 50  3F3  0/9 [aborted in air combat this Sep II 41 Axis turn early in the M. Phase by the Hurri 2 F type air unit at the Valletta target hex]

Med/NA Command Eliminated Air Units Box:

vacant

Allied non-Phasing Air Unit Transfers Late in the E. Phase

Late in the E. Phase the Bombay  1T2  1-2/15 air unit based at Nicosia (20A:3414), on Cyprus, flew a non-phasing air transfer air mission to Alexandria, in Egypt.  This turn it is Black U-1.

Axis Near East Command

• On the Jul II 41 Axis turn the Vichy French Levant surrendered to the invading Allies, per the Allied player’s Variable Levant Surrender Table dice roll, done at step 13 of the Axis I. Phase.  At the start of the Aug II 41 Axis turn all cities in the Levant were finally Allied-owned; and there were no remaining Axis forces in the Levant or in the Near East.  And so at step 12 of the Aug II 41 Axis I. Phase, all land hexes in Syria and Lebanon were declared Allied owned.
• The Iranians surrendered on the previous Aug II 41 Axis I. Phase. There are still neutral pro-Axis hexes and airbases in Iran, but they are too far from friendly Axis bases to be of any use to the Axis war effort.
• This Axis turn, At step 2 of the I. Phase, the Axis player did the Fawzi al Qawukji action die roll, per WW Optional Rule 39E4, and came up with a 5:  “Fawzi is under the control of the Axis player for the player turn.”

In Armistice Syria [end of turn]:

21A:4621 [stony desert hex]:

Guerrilla unit Fawzi (Bandit) [guerrilla-capable inf II bandit unit, in guerrilla mode; began turn at 21A:4621, in Iraq; moved to here]

In pro-Allied neutral Iraq [end of turn]:

• In the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario the pro-Axis Iraqi coup automatically occurs in the Apr I 41 Axis I. Phase.
• The Iraqi coup collapsed at step 4 of the I. Phase of the May II 41 Axis turn, when the Allied player rolled the dice checking for an Iraqi Coup Collapse, using the Variable Iraqi Coup Collapse Table, per WW Rule 38J5. The Iraqi army surrendered and all forces were then removed from the maps. All Iraqi hexes then became Allied-owned, except Mosul, which at that time contained a Ger LW air unit. This Ger LW air unit subsequently evacuated Iraq later in the May II 41 Axis turn. On the following Jun I 41 Allied turn a Br ground unit gained control of the Mosul hex, and thus the Allies had complete control of all hexes in newly pro-Allied Iraq.

21A:4519 [stony desert hex]:

Guerrilla unit Fawzi (Bandit) [dummy guerrilla-capable unit, in guerrilla mode; began turn at 21A:5020; moved to here]

Turn Activity

At step 2 of the I. Phase the Axis player does the Fawzi al Qawukji action die roll, per WW Optional Rule 39E4, and comes up with a 5:  “Fawzi is under the control of the Axis player for the player turn.”  In order to better assure its short-term survival, being that it is stalked by Allied ground units, the Axis player elects to keep Fawzi in its guerrilla mode, so that it can then retreat before combat.

At step 11 of the I. Phase the Allied forces at Tobruch are still isolated and most all the ground units there are at U-4 supply status, except the Br 2-8 Inf X 14, which now becomes black U-2, and the 3-8 Mtn X Karp (Pol), which becomes Black U-1. The Br Hurri 1 F type air unit now becomes Black U-3, as does the Br 3-8 Inf X 22 G. But all forces in the Tobruch hex are in special general supply due to the gsp’s available there at the supply determination step of the I. Phase.  At Malta, 4 of the 5 ground unit REs are in special general supply by virtue of the 4 gsp’s at the Valletta hex.  The two Br 0-1-8 hv AA IIs (AA = 2) are certainly in special general supply.  But in far away Iran, at Ganaweh (22A:4802), on the east coast of the Persian Gulf, the Ind 1-8 Inf X 17 unit becomes Black U-1 this turn, having moved beyond its overland supply line in its long march to gain Allied control of remote Iranian cities still considered to be Axis controlled.

At step 14 of the I. Phase the Axis player receives no reinforcements or production this turn.  He does no ground unit Replacement Point (RP) builds, but he expends two It ARPs and one Ger ARP to do three Axis air unit repairs, and removes one Ger LW and two Italian air units from the Aborted Air Units Box of his Med/NA Command Replacement Pool.  See the text above or the pictures below for these turn ARP repairs of aborted Axis air units.

At step 16 of the I. Phase the Allied player converts the single step of attack supply at Tobruch into 12 new gsp’s, per WW Rule 12C4b.

At step 22 of the I. Phase the Allied player sends the two A-22  3A3  2-1/19 (one Br & one SAAF) air units based at 19A:1319 on the Harassment air mission to the Egyptian target hex at 19A:0821. At the end of step 22 the two A type air units rebase at 19A:1319, having delivered their total of 4 tac factors to the 0821 target hex, good for two harassment marker hits.

At step 24 of the I. Phase the Allied player removes from the map the 12 old gsp’s at Tobruch that were generated there on the earlier Sep I 41 Axis phase from a step of attack supply then at the hex.

The first thing the Axis player does in the M. Phase is send an air op to the Valletta hex (18A:0407), at Malta.  It is escorted by the G 50  3F3  0/6 air unit based at 18A:0403, at Sicily.  The MC 200  3F4  1/8 air unit, also beginning the turn at 18A:0403, flies a fighter on a bombing air mission.  The SM 79-1  2B3  1-5/22 air unit based at Licata (18A:0102), in Sicily, also flies in the air op to the Valletta target hex.  The Br Hurri 2  5F5  1/9 air unit based at Valletta flies the Intercept air mission at the Valletta target hex and engages the G 50 F type air unit in air combat, and aborts it; the G 50 air unit rolls a (-).  When the Axis player sees the Hurri 2 air unit is flying the Intercept air mission, the MC 200 F type air unit flying the bombing air mission jettisons its bomb load, but remains with the small air mission group.  After the fighter air combat the Allied player rolls for his flack shot against the SM 79-1 B type air unit on a Malta Status strat bombing air mission, using the 3 column of the the Antiaircraft Fire Table, and comes up with a no effect.  But when the Axis player rolls on the Bombing table, using the 5 column, he gets a Hit, which brings the Malta Status back up to 12, the maximum Status # with an adjusted dice roll column on the Naval Table.

After this, the Axis player proceeds with the ground movement portion of the M. Phase, in Libya and western Egypt.  Interestingly, he declines to get involved with the small but tricky Allied stack at 19A:0920, but may feel like it’d be too much to bear if he went after it with both his panzer XXs and the Allied units managed to retreat before combat via the retreating abilities of the 0-8 Marine Cmdo II ME, leaving the mighty Afrika Korps high and dry.

But what he does do is continue the westward movement of his two Italian cons Xs, moving them both along the coastal road west of Ain el Gazala.  In a somewhat dramatic reversal of apparent earlier plans, the Ger 0-8 Cons III Afr and the It 2-3-8 Art III 16 C, both beginning the turn at  Porto Bardiya, quit their just started temporary airfield building project there and instead regular move 8 hexes westwards, ending their movement 3 hexes SW of Tobruch, evidently poised to access the coast road on the Oct I 41 Axis turn.  However, the main Axis mobile concentration, consisting of the two panzer XXs and associated minor mobile units, still lingers in far eastern Libya, at 19A:0219-0319, south of Porto Bardiya and right at the Egyptian borderline.  A short twisted “rat tail” of Axis units connects this forward Axis spearhead with the main mass of Axis forces besieging Tobruch and to the vital supply line road stretching all the way back to Tripoli.

Early in the E. Phase the Axis player initiates a big Axis air op, with Tobruch as the target hex.  Its object is to eliminate the Br Hurri 1 air unit based at Tobruch and inflict damage hits at the Tobruch airfields.  It bears some of the earmarks of a success, as the Hurri 1 air unit is aborted in air combat and three damage hits are inflicted on the 4-cap total of the Tobruch airfields, and there are no Axis air unit casualties.

Then an Axis flight group is flown at night to strat bomb Matruh’s port capacity, using the two It Br 30M NB type air units, based at Derna (18A:4116).  One of the It NB type air units is Returned by Matruh’s 2 factor flack shot; the other evades the minor port’s flack fire but rolls a Miss on the Bombing Table, taking into account the -1 modifier when rolling on the Bombing Table at night.  And so they both rebase at Derna.

These just mentioned Axis E. Phase air ops result in a major reshuffle of Axis air units in both Libya and at Sicily, both in the air op rebasing and in a subsequent final rebasing shuffle in order to maintain airbase capacity limits and to be better prepared for the next turn.  See the text above or the pictures below for these rebasing details.  The end result of the Axis air unit EOT dispositions  implies a new Axis game strategy in both the Western Desert and at Sicily that the Allied player must take into account on his upcoming Oct I 41 turn.

Commentary

Things are coming to a head in the Western Desert.  No one can stop it.  The Axis side, in particular, feels that time is running out for his long hot summer vacation there, taking into account the continual strengthening of the British 8th Army in the Egyptian Western Desert and the prolonged deadlock at Tobruch, which apparently implies Allied success.  Already he prudently clears out his construction assets from the Tobruch zone, and does not pretend any more to construct airfields east of the besieged fortress in order to better plunge deep into Egypt and clash against the Allied armored desert shield there.  But at the same time he has cleared his best air assets out of Sicily and at the important Sirte airfield, concentrating them instead in the Cyrenaica.  A blind man might see what Rommel is preparing; but he must do it very soon, or else be preempted.