Summer of Blood

The Soviets ignoring their doctrine of reinforcing success choose instead to send almost all their reinforcements to the vulnerable Ukraine including the new Koniev armoured HQ. To Hitler's horror then Allies win initiative meaning the Soviets will get to attack their vulnerable forces holding Dnepetrovsk! They can also strike first in Poland with their very strong Guard Banner Armies. Hitler in desperation brings an old groun attack aircraft out of reserve to help out. Stalin seeing a lack of fighters brings an I16 out of reserve to reinforce the Polish front from Minsk.

The Commonwealth and Free French chose a Naval impulse and protected convoys in Europe, N and C Amrerica. Older battleships  and cruisers sailed into the East Med from Aden but failed to find any convoys. The Soviets launched a massive attack on PanzerArmee1 panzer and mechanised corps. In the  air battle about the Soviet interceptors got shot down but the Soviet ground attack got through and disorgansied the mechanised corps. The German bombers got aborted by the Soviet AA division. The Soviets destroyed a mechanised corps and the armoured corps will return next Turn. There is a massive gap in the German lines but a recently reformed two infantry corps in Konigsberg will have to fill the gap. In the Ukraine Soviet forces gather in Zaporohze and their artillery flips over the panzer corps. The Rumanian cavarly gets crushed by a Soviet attack involving Vatutin HQ. Hitler has a major panic attack but is counting on his strong forces in the Ukraine to rescue the stranded German troops. The factory at Rostov is railed to East of the Urals. Stalin spends the last of his Offensive Points to reorganise the Zhokov HQ. 

The dire situtuation in Poland (the Zhukov HQ will be reorganised) 

The difficulties in Ukraine

 

Japan moves an armoured division to North China and an infantry corps to south west China to replace the marine corp these eventuallly. Its artillery divisions launch bombardments but only disorganise one unit in North China. Italy begins its retreat in Libya away from Eigth Army. Italy rail moves an infantry corps to join the HQ in Poland. The Germans mass an attack on the 3-4 infantry north west of the trapped Germans. Defences in Poland are reorganised. Hungarians move into Ukraine to perform rear area duties. Hitler ground strikes both Zhukov HQ and Vatutin HQ stacks and succeeds in disorganising Zhukov and the katyusha division stacked with Vatutin but not Vatutin HQ. Hitler kisses Goering in gratitude. Rumanian fighters beat off Soviet Pe2 divebombers over the 3-2. The Germans roll a 2! The Soviet army retereats over the Dnepr and half the Germans and the Ukranian / Vlasov volunteers flip over. The Germans in the pocket are relieved. In France German and Italian troops move towards the French resistance.

8th Army in the desert roll forwards to the Libyan border. The Brits spend an Offensive Point for its subs to hunt in the East Med and succesfully damage the convoy and a light cruiser aborts back to base as does the sub. The Soviets suddenly under the cosh can't find a weak spot in Poland. In the Ukraine Shturmoviks flip over the second Panzer corps near Dnepopetrovsk. The Vatutin HQ retreat south over the Dnepr abandoning the katyusha division. The US moves a P38 lightning twin engiend fighter to the Faroes.

The Italians choose a Land action and move their units Westwards leaving a  Libyan unit and slow moving artillery behind to guard Tobruk to hopefully slow down Eighth Army. In China Japanese bombers flipped over a Chinese Communist army. The Japanese armour corps moved to take part in an attack on these disorganised Communist troops and despite Mao HQ support a Communist militia army and cavalry corps were broken through -to return next Turn - and the armour with infantry support advanced to occupy the abandoned hex. Hitler hitler chooses a no-cost combined and sends subs to target the Arctic convoy to the Soviets. Commonwealth convoys in the Atlantic and the oil tankers in the Carribbean. A Soviet convoy and a Royal Navy light cruiser Terror is damaged. French resistance fighters are surrounded and desttoyed. In the Ukraine Rommel HQ moves south and and part of a ring of units that destroys the Katyusha division (Stalin sighs having abandoned it). Then Rommel flips over to reorganise the German and Ukranian/Vlasov cavalry. Luftwaffe units move deeper into the Ukraine. 

The Commmonwealth chose a no-cost combined impulse.They sent a cruiser into the West Med and their naval aircraft found the Italian convoy and damaged it and sent the light cruiser back to port. The Italian forces in North Africa are now cut-off from supplies. The Eighth Army sent Wavell and armoured and mechanised corps with air support blitzed the Italian forces in Tobruk destroying them both. Churchill sends Il Duce a teasing telegram. A mass bomber daylight raid with Mosquitos helping protect against Luftwaffe fighters got through to Lille and destroyed the factory there. Gort HQ reorganised the heavy bombers but did not have enough capacity to do the same for the Mosquito. Stalin is begging for a Second Front but the Brits can't oblige yet. They have struck some blows though and are hoping to clear N Africa soon. Hitler hopes Japan will attack the Commonwalth soon. Chinese  communist artillery failed to do anything but a Chinese Nationalist bomber unit disorganised the Japanese armour corps in the north. The Soviets rail moved a unit from Siberia to Gomel and moved moved the unit in Gomel to protect the northern end of the Dnepr line. A convoy moved from Murmansk to replace the lost convoy. 

The Italians use a no cost combined impulse and move their sole available convoy into the Western Med protected by 4 capital ships and 2 heavy crusiers and all their naval aircraft. The Royal Navy fails to find them. The Italians move as many of their land units as they are allowed Westwards but are forced to leave behind an infantry division due to limits on land movement. They rail moved a motor infantry corps to Poland. The Japanese also use a no-costs combined and move Zero fighters to North China and transport a naval militia unit to South China and move two light cruisers in a position to search and seize US and UK supplies to China. The Germans oved the siege gun to Kiev and move units around to cover the Dnper then an HQ reorganised the Siege Gun ready for use next Turn. Subs found convoys in the North Atlantic but could not get past the Sunderland aircraft protecting the convoys. 

The Commonwealth choose a Land impulse and move Eighth Army and the Desert Air Force westwards. The armoured and mechanised corps overrun the Italian infantry division. Heavy bombers night raid cost one German build point. The Chinese withdraw from a resource hex south of Kumming rather than lose two weak infantry armies. The Soviets moved forces to reinforce north of Kiev in case the germans forced a bridgehead there and the Black Sea fleet sailed out to provide ground support if needed. A factory rail moved to east of the Urals.

The Italians continued to flee towards Libya but left an infantry corps to man the defences of Benghazi along with a weak Libyan Territorials Corp. Mussolini asks for support from Hitler but all he will offer is Vichy resources. Mussolini declares war against the USSR in the hope this will strengthen his hand for asking for suppport and the US draws an Entry chip. This only annoys Hitler. Mussolini grumbles that he is helping Germany in France AND Poland.  Hitler after building to attack north of Kiev switched his focus to crossing the Dnepr at the south near Crimea. Fallschirmjaegers dropped on a Soviet garrison unit whilst panzers and Volksturm militia crossed an undefended area of the Dnepr and and attacked the flanks of the Soviet garrison unit. Stukas, Bf109s and Ju88s aided the blitzkrieg and despite the fire suppot from the Black Sea Fleet the Soviets were crushed. The Panzers crossed back over to guard against a Soviet counterattack cutting off the lines of supply for their bridgehead. The railway siege gun also moved south to the outskirts of Odessa. In Japan there is a large attack on Kwieyang with many Japanese air units involved. The new Zeros get turned away by Lendlease P40cs and the Japanese bombers return to base. Sadly for the Chinese - and despite the support of the Stillwell HQ - the Japanese roll high and destroy both Chinese units and occupy Zweiyang. The US draws an entry value of zero. Then the Turn ends on this high note for the Axis! The Italians in North Africa are spared further punishment!

No partisans arrive. The US entry actions are to choose Land Based Aircraft and the significant move of the US fleet to Peral Harbour - at least 2 big aircraft carriers and 4 battleships to intimidate the Japanese! Japan did stop and search to stop Phillipine and Indian resources from reaching China and there was no US reaction. I forgot to check for US reaction to German occuppying Dnepopetrovks and the US does indeed draw a US entry counter - a mighty 5. Next Turn several possible juicy choices are available. I made a more serious mistake - the Italian supply unit should have been able to reorganise itself after being bombed. So to compensarte I moved 3 Commonwealth convoys in India into the Repair bay. The Commonwealth started building a pilot for the Free French intending to give them a carrier plane they are no longer using for their Bearn carrier.