Summer of Wrath

The Soviets places many ground and plane units around Kiev, Odessa and Dnepropetrovsk. Hitler is unconcerned as he as 2 PanzerArmees, 3 HQs plus Rumanian and Hungarian support including air units. 

The Allies win iniative but the Axis use their +1 to re roll and on the reroll gain the crucial first go in this Summer of 41. Hitler has refrained from using his Offensive points even when a PanzerArmee was cut off but he's ready to spend freely now. Hitler uses a no-cost combined and sends his naval aircraft and subs far and wide and his auxiliary cruiser into the Indian Ocean. They send a Russian convoy back to port and damage a light cruiser aend British and convoy back to port. In a stroke of bad luck the auxiliary cruiser Kormorant gets found by a Royal Navy cruiser Enterprise despite these auxiliary cruisers being hard to find. It is gunned by the cruiser glub glub glub. The cruiser gets aborted back to port. In the Ukraine the outer ring of two Soviet armies are destroyed for the loss of a Rumanian corps. The Italians send escorts out to protect convoys and subs and a naval aircraft to hunt for Commonwealth convoys but fail to find any. The Japanese send light cruisers based in Siam to search and seize resources going to China from India and the US. The US does nothing. Japanese infantry, planes and the famous Yamamoto storm mountains outside Kweiyang destroying the infantry army there but lose a garrison corps.

With no auxiliary cruiser to worry about the Free French send some escorts to watch West Africa and Central America .  The US moves a motorised infantry corps to Greenland. The Royal Navy moved escorts all over the oceans. Antitank and AA divisions landed at suez. Cruisers, battleships and aircraft carriers in the Med went back to the UK or Aden. Italian naval bombers find convoys in the West Med, get through the fighter cover and sink the convoy. Royal Navy subs damaged the Italian convoys off the Italian coast and a heavy cruiser at the cost of the submarine Shark being sunk by a double damaged result and Parthian being aborted back to Malta. I discovered I had made a mistake- US can send resources to the CommonWealth but can't use US convoys whilst they are neutral so I moved CommonWealth convoys from moving resources from S Africa to the US. The Soviets chose a no-cost combined and moved the Black Sea Fleet out to sea where it can provide fire support to Odessa. Ground units moved to form up behind the Dniepr. A convoy moved out to complete the chain to the Norwegian resource. The Chinese Nationalists move the SW corner of their line bckwards but retain their hold onto the resource outside Kweiyang.

The Japanese advanced into the gaps left by the retreating Chinese Nationalists and moved a Marine corps via transport to Canton to replace the lost infantry corps. An HQ flips over to reorganise some planes to reuse later in the turn. The Italians moved convoys out to replace the damaged convoys and planes into the East Med. German subs failed to find convoys in the N Atlantic. In the Ukraine most of 2 PanzerArmees surrounded Kiev on 4 sides with Offensive Points used to move two corps to complete the ring. Rundstedt HQ used 13 offensive points to double the value of attackers. In the dogfight over Kiev two Soviet fighter units were shot down (one pilot survived) and Stukas and He111 joined in. Faced with overwhelming odds the Soviet HQ chooses not to support and avoid being flipped over and Stalin chooses a Blitz mobile defence to hopefully save some units. A wise decision as the final result is one German loss plus Breakthrough instead of losing two units and one Shattered. Still thats three Soviet units to arrive next Turn and off the map for now. Still a bitter blow for Stalin - the loss of Kiev. Germany will get the Vlassov Cavalry unit next Turn for capturing Kiev. The Dniepr river line defences are formidable but Rommel using up most of the remaining Offensive Points can probably forge a bridgehead later in the Turn. The Von Leeb HQ flipped over to reorganise the Luftwaffe units that had fought in Kiev as they would be useful in the river crossing (as their combat factors are not halved by the river). French resistance in the Swis borders are wiped out by a combined German Italian offensive. I think German progress in capturing Soviet hearltand cities (as opposed to captured Border regions like East Poland) would cause concern in the US. This is similat to Japan capturing Chinese cities.The Soviets roll loe and the US gains an entry chit versus Germany/ Italy.

The Commonwealth with a no-cost combined impulse moved the Long Range Desert Group and Royal engineers to Sinai (only theLRDG could disembark) and an older Hurricane unit around Africa. The divisions already in Sinai moved towards Alexandria. Heavy Bombers only caused 1 build point damage. The Soviets moved the units outside Odessa towards the lower Dniepr river line whilst leaving Odessa strongly defended. With massive air suppport the Soviets attempted a cross river offensive in the Poland / Byelorussia front but rolled well and destroyed a German artillery division and  broke through an infantry corps (which will return next Turn). A Guards Banner tank and Infantry army crossed the river.

Japan can't identify any weak spots to attack in strength. It again searches and seizes resources heading for China and this time the US gets annnoyed and draws a chit. Japan closes the Burma Road with diplomatic pressure but the Us doesn't react.  Italy moves a fighter to Libya. The Germans move units around in Poland. They blitz a river crossing south of Kiev with panzers, motorised infantry, fighters and Stukas and He111s in support and the Rommel HQ using most of the remaining Offensive Points. The attack gets off to a bad start when Yak3 fighters drive off the Bf109s and the German ground support aircraft with poor air combat factors return to base. Shturmoviks and Pe2 divebombers aid the Russian infantry army. The Germans roll high however and force a bridgehead with motorised infantry and a panzer corps crossing over. All the German HQs in Ukraine are now flipped over as is the Yeremenko HQ supporting the infantry army in vain. The infantry army is broken through so will return next Turn. Hitler pushes his luck amd attacks the partisans in the swamp with 2 infantry corps but loses an infantry corps to destroy the partisans. Another combined German/Italian offensive wipes out more French resistance this time on the Belgian border. Italian bombers attacked British armour but with little results.

Commonwealth forces continued to move towards the front line in Egypt - surely the long awaited Desert offensive will happen soon! A large concentric Soviet offensive in Poland with Zhukov HQ flipping over leads to the destruction of a panzerjaeger SPG division and artillery division with a broken through infantry corps to return next Turn. A Soviet infantry army becomes promoted to a Guards Banner Army. Stalin hopes these mighty blows will eventually force Hitler to recall some of the German units rampaging through the Ukraine. Stalin spends Offensive Points to reorganise the Yeremenko HQ. Armour and mechanised units as well as infantry armies gather round the bridgehead and launch a counter attack with Yeremenko support to attack the bridgehead. The armour corps is lost but the German units are forced to retreat. The Dnepr river defences have been weakened but it might be until next Turn before the Germans can force it again.

Hitler is desperately worried about the East Prussia and Poland Front. He moves good quality infantry from France and Belgiun to Poland. He begs Italy in exchange for Vichy resources to move to Poland and Italy sends its Balbo HQ from France with more troops to follow later. The Luftwaffe's best He111 braves the Soviet AA division and manages to flip over/ disorganise the Guards Tank Army in East Poland hoping to halt Soviet momentum. In Ukraine the Rumanians and Germans surround Odessa. German armoured and motorised infantry along with Rumanian cavalry eliminate a Soviet infantry army and with their breakthrough end up taking Dnepetrovsk.  Hitler is being a bit reckless - the Soviets can cut off this advance. The Japanese try to flip over some Chinese infantry armies with aircraft and fail. Italy moves its best fighter unit forward in Libya. Then the Turn ends! As the Axis began and ended the Turn with their impulse the Initiative impulse moved towards Allies +1 bonus. 

Here's the situation in Ukraine at the end of the Turn with all the units flipped back over.

 

France denuded of garrison units spawns another partisan unit. I discovered that the US was supposed to start with 3 US entry counters which I hadn't done so I added them now - 2 to Japan and one to Germany/Italy. The US chose to Repair Western ships and to Freeze Japanese Assets (so Japan only gets 2 oil/ Turn). No markers moved to Tension pool. In the Production phase Sweidsh iron flowed to Germany. The Commonwealth got the US to repair three light cruisers and started building Marines to use with soon to be completed amphibious landing ships. The Soviets decided to start cranking up infantry and militia production. Hitler forced Vichy to give its resources to Italy.