Der Rommel kommt

 The title is a refernece to a book about Stlaingrad's chapter title about Manstein coming (and failing) to save the encircled 6th Army at Stalingrad. This time its PanzerArmee 3 encircled near Kiev in the snow. Again Rumanian forces on the flanks were pushed back to form the cauldron. Unlike then the encircled Germans are not surrounded by strong Soviet forces in contact that can destroy them. Can Rommel outdo Manstein and reach and save PanzerArmee 3. 

Things get off to a good start with the Axis winning Initiative and then the Weather is Fine everywhere except Arctic. Fine Panzer blitzing weather! This is the situation at the start of the Turn.

Rommel and his forces are in the West trying to break through to save the Germans surrnounded in the centre North. The Soviet garrison division was crushed by the German infantry. And then relative disaster for Rommel. A low roll meant that although the Soviet infantry army was destroyed the cost was that all the attacking units were disorganised! Rommel could reorganises three of them  but would then be disorganised himself. The weather is more often bad then good in March/ April which can shorten supply lines and its more important for Rommel HQ to get close to the encircled troops so they can be supplied than to blitz to Kiev. Hitler is reluctant to expend Offensive Points to reorganise Rommel after he flips over. The heroic 4-3 has done an amazing job. Heroes of the Soviet Union all round!The Japanese take advantage of the good weather to launch a large attack with air support on an isolated Chinese Nationalist army and destroy it.

The Commonwealth moved a transport with antitank and AA units to Gibraltar whilst a transport carrying the Royal Engineers with an escort of 2 carriers and 2 heavy cruisers moved from Gibraltar to Alexandria. The Italians intercepted with their naval bombers and got enough surprise points to press home their attack and damage the Transport. The Commonwealth fooloshly didn't include their Beaufighters based on Malta so Mussolini satisfied with the carnage didn't try to intercept further in case the Beaufighters became involved and shoot down the Italian naval aircraft in the East Med. Heavy bombers attacked French factories producing goods for the Nazis and caused 2 build points of damage whilst the German interceptor failed to do any damage and was flipped over. The Gort HQ reorganised the bombers so they  can go ahead later in the Turn. The US moved convoys and tankers from west coast to east coast so they can help transport resources to the UK.

The Soviet Union tried ground strikes against Rommel with bombers but failed. Artillery and air strikes against a stack of infantrry corps in Poland was followed by Zhukov using Offensive Points and launching a hammer blow that destroyed one German infantry corps and one division and placed another corps to taken off the board to return next Turn. The Soviets used more build points in Offensive Points then they destroyed but they converted a tank army into 1st Guards Tank Army. In the South a militia unit was swapped for a Siberian infantry unit. Infantry armies moved into position to require the Germans to destroy them in order to relieve the encircled units - sadly this is likely. The Free French used a naval impulse to send escorts to hepl protect West Africa and Caribbean seas and the Red Sea.

Weather turned bad with snow in the crucial European front. Germany sent 5 infantry corps plus Rommel HQ against the Soviet infantry army blocking supply to PanzerArmee 3 supported by 3 air units. The Soviet army died bravely taking two German corps with them but Panzer Armee 3 is now in supply. On the Polish front two German artillery divisions bombard two Soviet infantry armies and disorganise them. In France Italian and German units surround the partisans in the mountains.

The US moved its convoys and tankers to ship 3 resources and 2 oil to the UK. This is more than the UK can use but allows for some leeway in case some convoys get sunk. The Royal Navy spreads out to protect convoys and takes advantage of the Stormy Mediterranean weather to move transports from Egypt to Gibraltar and the UK. A naval aircraft rebases to Gibraltar. RAF heavy bombers braved the snow and struck Brussels with no fighter cover protecting it causing 1 build point of damage. The Soviet Union moved land units away from the Dniester towards deeper into the Ukraine.

The Turn then ends with Hitler purring at the thought of PanzerArmee 2 and 3 cruising through the Ukraine in the summer. Partisans arrived in France and the Ukraine. The US drew an entry chit against Japan and chose to reduce resources being sent to Japan. The Germans find sending 3 build points to Axis burdensome along with converting railways and strategic bomber damage. They are still favourites to wreak havoc in the Ukraine.