Total War Part 2

 The second part of July August 42 will be discussed here. The weather is fine most places but stormy in the N Monsoon zone. The Commonwealth chooses a Land impulse. They move armour units to attack the Germany infantrry unit guarding the southern end of the Seine line whilst other units rearrange themselves facing the Axis. Mosquitos ground strike the infantry unit and Bf109s and Spitfires abort each other allowing the Mossies to disorganise the German infantry. The US choooses a no-cost combined. Transports unfliped by MacArthur last Impulse move the LA militia, an airborne corps and AA and motorised artillery division across the Atlantic towards France. They then move across France towards the Seine. The Montgomery HQ, American motorised infantry corps and two armoured corps attacked the disorganised German infantry corps. Stukas support the German infantry but Monty rolls poorly. The German infantry is still destroyed and the armoured corps occupy its previous location but all the attackers are disorganised. This gives the Germans a breathing space but the Allies can still hook round their Seine line with inantry in later impulses. The US moves its P38 in Iceland towards South England and its aircraft in S England towards France. The RAF send a low level daylight bombing raid to Stuttart and cause 1 further build point damage (for a total of 3 this turn which with the production multiplier of 1.25 will become 4 lost points of production for Germany). Stalin sends a massive concentric attack on Warsaw - Hitler wants to make it a bloody struggle on the Assault table but Guderian persuades him to adopt mobile defence as that precious SS mechanised corps will be needed in future and Mussolini does not want to lose an infantry corps. Stalin rolls well (with a contemptuous glance towards the British poor rolling) and forces the Axis to retreat out of Moscow to the North West through the corridor provided by the infantry corps and half his forces are disorganised. The southeast flank of his Polish bridgehead is open but the Axis have few forces to send there. If the Soviets hold onto Warsaw they liberate Poland and get a free unit and access to building Polish units (the ones that aren't in the Commonwealth force pools).

Warsaw captured

Hitler is throwing tantrums in his bunker. The forces along the Seine are at risk of being outflanked. Warsaw is lost and South Poland and Czechoslavakia are at risk. He can give up his position in the Ukraine but the Dnepr which has frustrated him will also frustrate Stalin's attacks; there are 4 resources to be given up if he retreats and his Balkan allies demand that the Germans maintain the Dnepr line to keep the Soviet wolf away from their door. Mussolini with a Land impulse rail moves his Folgore paratrooper corps to Metz and Hitler rail moves a Hungarian infantry corps from Lvov to Strasbourg to slow down any British breakthrough at the Seine. Goering rebases a Ju52 transport plane to near the Seine line in case an infantry unit needs to be reorganised. Japan with a no-cost combined movs what convoys it can to carry as much resources to the Mainland but can't transport them all especially oil. In India its troops move to grab two different resource hexes but are disorganised. The Ki-43 fighter with 12 range rebases to Trukk. It now has enough resources to feed all its factories but so far they can't carry them all to Japanese factories. Japan may be able to match US production devoted to the Pacific after all! (But with the added Commonwealth and China production they will still be outproduced by a significant amount). The turn continues. The weather is fine everywhere excpet stormy in the North Monsoon zone.

Commonwealth and US both choose a land impulse. The engineer battalion rail moves to the West coast and three Mexican corps rail move to the US ports ready to be transported next Turn.  Their AA, artillery and anti tank divisions move up to the Seine line whilst both send infantry to the Southest end of the Seine line ready to hook round. They can also threaten Metz and the border with the Reich itself. This may be the straw that breaks the camel's back for Hitler. The Dnepr is a great defensive barrier and the Germans hold 4 resource hexes and 2 factories in Ukraine - not only are they a bonus for the Nazis they are kept away from Stalin. OKW say Germany cannot afford a "forward defence" in the Ukraine with the Soviets rampaging in Poland and the Western Allies possibly reaching the border of Germany. Perhaps half the forces in Ukraine can be used to defend the Balkan allies (who can use all their units not just the half they can send abroad due to the Foreign Troop Commitment rule).  Stalin launches a powerful assault with Guard Banner armies on Lodz next to Warsaw. The Axis choose mobile defence and amongst the factories the Soviets lose a Guards Banner tank army but send a German militia unit and Italian HQ to the Production circle to return next Turn and half the remaining Soviet units are disorganised. The Soviets are not happy with the exchange but Soviet Poland have gained two factories. 

Hitler rail moves his Gustav siege artillery to Metz. Some infantry move to expel the Soviets from the resource hex near Katowice. Infantry corps retreat from northwest of Warsaw to protect a medium bomber that is disorganised from potential Soviet attack. Panzrgrenadiers move from MAriupol to Dnepetrovsk. Hitler doesn't want to give away his Ukraine evacuation too early and wants at least one more turn of using the factories and resources there. Ju52 transport planes reorganise militia near Paris so they can move to plug any gaps. Italy takes a pass. Now that Japan has invaded India it can now turn to Naval mattters. Seeing the US Pacific fleet in the Christmas Island sea zone and the Japanese have a superiority in quality and quantity of carrier air power but this might not last more than a year given the industrial superiority of the US. The Kido Butai - the main Japanese carrier fleet plus battleships and heavy cruisers- moves to Trukk this impulse hoping to move to then find and defeat the US Pacific fleet next impulse at Christmas Island.  If they can cause serious damage and get off lightly themselves they will make it very difficult for the US to operate in the Pacific. The Ki43 fighter rebases to the Howard Islands from where it can try to support the Kido Butai next impulse in the Christmas Island sea zone to help the Japanese air effort. Nimitz in Pearl Harbour is a bit nervous as the Japanese will have a 40% chance of finding the US Pacific fleet if they get decent weather and get to the Christmas Island sea zone. He steels himself with the thought that the US Navy is brave and willing to take the risk and can afford to rebuild any losses. Japanese subs start moving towards Christmas Island sea zones. Japanese subs find US convoys in the Polynesia sea zone and sink them and abort the light cruiser escort.

The US chooses a no cost combined impulse. Fighters from Hawaii join the same sea box as the Paciifc fleet whilst the reorganised sub moves to the same sea zone but in the top 4 box. Convoys in the East coast move through the Panama canal towards the Pacific. The Commonwealth moves its infantry round to attack the militia on the southeastern end of the Seine linewith support from infantry on the southern side of the Seine and some US artillery. Bombers and fighters from both sides take part, the American bombers are halved by the forest but the Italian stukas are driven away by the British AA division. The Germans choose a mobile defence but the Allies  roll well this time and the German miltia corps is destroyed. A British infantry corps and the US artillery cross the Seine to occuppy the vacated forest. Hitler is facing the realisation that Paris will fall. He wants to collapse Vichy before this happens so that their armed forces do not join the Allied cause but he also wants Mussolini's navy to be in the West Mediterranean to intercept Vichy's navy when it flees port after Vichy collapses. His time window is running out. The Soviets move a tank army to join the Zhukov HQ and rail moves a militia army from near Gomel to Vilna. China sits it out. It's hoping to be ignored by Japan until it gains enough strength to strike and cause problems.  Now the Turn ends before the Japanese get to strike at the Pacific Fleet. 

Partisans potentially threaten India, Netherlands East Indies and France. Only France ends up with a partisan, occuppying the resource hex near Belgium and blocking the railway to Paris although because it only has a zone of control in its own hex it doesn't block supply to the German units on the Seine as supply can go around it.  As ships return to base German Kondor aircraft in the North Sea intercept and sink a royal Navy light cruiser and damage another one. In the Production phase the Soviets take the fre Warsaw volunteers, pay for Warsaw militia to turn up next Turn also as well as begin building the two available infantry corps. Stalin is keen on getting troops to go straight on the frontline - even better if they aren't Soviet citizens. I asked on Facebook and its very complicated about Brazilian ships using ports in Europe as they fall foul of minor country rules. So I've switched their antique battleships to Los Angeles to be used to help guard Pearl Harbour in future. Hitler sends some resources to Mussolini so he can build all his militia to occupy Southern France whilst Hitler concentrates on starting to build as many Garrison corps as he can to defend German cities from the Soviets and the Western Allies. The Commonwealth gains 3 intelligence points due to the boffin code breakers of Bletchley Park. The Soviet Union and Japan sign a neutrality pact and both draw defensive markers - the Soviets get a value of 4 and the Japanese 1. The Germans destroy 2 factories in Paris in a scorched earth policy. The Japanese start finishing off 4 light carriers in the construction yard. They will be outmatched by the big US Essex carriers which will be ready at a similar time but can still give the Royal Navy a hard time as their planes will easily be a match for many of the rubbish Commonwealth carrier planes. The Turn ends with Hirohito looking scornfully at Hitler.