EA Heldenkaiser (Allies) vs. Telumar (Axis)

[Heldenkaiser]

Allied Turn 50 / 9th June 1940

The war is growing quite confusing. Lots of sideshows going on.
- Bulgarians, Hungarians, Italians, and Germans (what a dream combination, come to think of it!) march into Yugoslavia, motive unknown. They meet with sadly little resistance. Still, the brave Yugoslavians try to set up their surviving troops (mostly in the hills in the center) for some kind of organized defense.
- Malta is still struggling on under German/Italian attack, but the garrison is forced off the island and will have to disband, once it recovers from routing.
- Italians continue to march into Egypt and are now not far from the strong (I hope) blocking position the Army of the Nile, now reinforced by British XIII Cps and 8 Inf Div, is fortifying at El Alamain.
- In East Africa, the KAR, South Africans, and Indians are pushing Italian colonial troops into the interior and advance on Mogadishu. An attack on Asmara by Indian and ANZAC troops does not succeed.

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Allied Turn 51 / 16th June 1940

- Yugoslavia is going down. Belgrade falls (without much resistance to be sure). Since nothing makes a difference anyway, the Yugoslavian general staff authorizes suicidal offensives into the enemy's homeland, and oddly the Western allies seem to provide shipping. A Yugoslavian division takes Pescara in Italy in amphibious assault, and another tries to land in Salerno (of all places), but fails. Yugoslavian 3rd Territorial Army advances east from Skopje, pushes three Bulgarian divisions back and comes within two hexes from Sofia! Naturally, Yugoslavia will surrender anyway, but at least they put up a good show before they died.
- Malta fires back! I totallly forgot the plenty of guns there. A part of German Panzergruppe Afrika, still embarked off the island, is reduce to an empty shell, according to battle reports only some of the tanks themselves survive.
- In East Africa, Mogadishu falls, and the ANZAC Cps reinforces the attack on Asmara.

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Allied Turn 52 / 23rd June 1940

- Malta finally falls to a new Italian amphibious assault.
- Yugoslavia still hasn't surrendered yet and is continuing its landings in Italy--or is planning too, because somehow I managed to mess it up in every single case and sit embarked with no MP left.
- In East Africa, Asmara finally falls and the advance on Addis Ababa commences.
- In Jutland, the British Med Fleet shells an airfield and wrecks a couple of dozen German fighters.

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Allied Turn 53 / 30th June 1940

- Med Fleet is badly crippled by German Stukas off Jutland. I should have provided air cover.
- Yugoslavia surrenders, partisan emerge, but are easily subdued.
- Asmara retaken by the Italians, but the column advancing on Addis Ababa from Mogadishu scores some successes.

 

[Veers]

Re: Allied Turn 52 / 23rd June 1940

- Yugoslavia still hasn't surrendered yet and is continuing its landings in Italy--or is planning too, because somehow I managed to mess it up in every single case and sit embarked with no MP left.

Now that is an interesting strategy for Yugoslavia!

 

[arclight]

Re: Allied Turn 52 / 23rd June 1940

Yup ++ for the thread - currently playing my first game, and, learning alot from this (and other) thread(s)

Only thing is, France is falling in Sept 39.... and, I did leave the troops on the Line... So is life...

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Allied Turn 54 / 7th July 1940

- Malta garrison returns to good order and can finally be disbanded in accordance with scenario house rules.
- In East Africa, the attack on Asmara is renewed, cautiously, by the ANZAC mech brigade. In vain though (the caution too), as the brigade evaporates. On the other hand, the KAR and 9 SA Armored continue their advance on Addis Ababa and push Italian colonial troops before them.
View attachment 29468
- Axis troops massing on the Greek border!
- An RAF bombing attack on a German airfield in western Normandy is a costly disaster. I thought it was a good idea--I massed AS fighters within range in southern England and hoped to win the air battle this way, assuming that not many German fighters would be close to such an exposed airfield, but obviously I was wrong. I lost close to 100 planes--the Germans maybe 30 or 40. Hope they can less afford to lose them.

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Allied Turn 55 / 14th July 1940

- The LRDF, chased through the desert by Italian troops near Bardia turn after turn, has finally been destroyed. Does it count as a diversion? In any case I am quite unsure what I could usefully have done with these guys. There simply were no soft targets in the Axis rear in Libya.
- ANZAC Cps retakes Asmara.
- KAR and South Africans are two hexes from Addis, but are unable to push the Italians further. Maybe when the ANZAC's can come to their help from the East.

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Allied Turn 56 / 21st July 1940

- Axis troops invade Greece. Disappointingly, Greek opposition is minimal. I don't think the country will last two weeks. Overwhelming Axis superiority in numbers and quality means that like the Poles these guys can simply make a stand and die in place. :OHNO:
View attachment 29515
- In East Africa, the KAR evaporates in a successful attack on Italian colonial troops on the road to Addis Ababa, but the South Africans keep pushing on and evict the bad guys from Addis, unfortunately without advancing into the vacated city, and with not enough MP left to enter it after the attack. A second attack on the enemy outside the city, faute de mieux, pushes them back into it! Fortunately, the third attack expells them again, and this time the Ethopian capital falls for good.
View attachment 29514
- The British Med Fleet, restored to full strength shortly after its Jutland disaster by the powerful British industry, shells a German airfield near Abbeville in Normandy and wrecks 60 or 80 fighters and some bombers without taking own losses.
- The Vichy Fleet tries to leave the Med, only to bump into two British carrier groups off Gibraltar. The RN pursues the traitorous Frogs to Algiers where the pride of the French fleet is completely annihilated by torpedo bomber attacks.

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Allied Turn 57 / 28th July 1940

- Greece is going down pretty much the same way Yugoslavia did. Their units are just being pushed around by the hyper-Germans, and some local counterattacks, just for the sake of it, are totally pointless. Watched (I don't dare say "supported") by the last two Greek destroyers, Greek bombers and the Med RAF Bomber Group attacks two Italian naval task forces in the Aegean Sea, taking horrible losses for no gain at all.
View attachment 29519
- On the other hand, the Italians in East Africa have finally surrendered, and the South Africans are on their way to take (Vichy) French Djibouti.
View attachment 29520

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Allied Turn 58 / 4th August 1940

- Massive Axis troop movements south into Italy and Africa.
- Partisans in Yugoslavia, but they are destroyed as quickly as they show up.
- Athens falls. Fierce suicidal counterattacks by the remaining Greek units are hopeless of course.
- In East Africa, the remaining Italian units surrender and Djibouti is taken by ANZAC and South African troops.
- The Malta brigade, recently (T56 or T57) disbanded after being forced off the island, is already back in London. That was quick!

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Allied Turn 59 / 11th August 1940

- The Greeks are still fighting, oddly, but of course they stand no chance. Basically only the Peloponnese and the islands are not yet taken, plus a couple of divisions are surrounded but not being attacked on the Albanian border near Corfu. To create confusion, the 5th division from Crete embarks to land in the enemy rear at Dubrovnik, but is repulsed.
- First Battle of El Alamein: Heavy Panzer Group Africa attacks on British XIII Cps and 51 Indian Armored, heavy losses for both sides, though worse for the Germans I think, plus I expect them to run out of supply first. I have a RR to Cairo in my rear and am four hexes from Alexandria, they have a broken RR that leads to nowhere in particular.
View attachment 29598
- Units from East Africa are moving up to the Egyptian front as reinforcements. The KAR (reconstituted) and 5th Indian division have already arrived, the ANZAC mech brigade has landed at Suez, and the ANZAC Cps and 9 South African Armored are on the move.
- British Med Fleet and RAF bombers shell a German army HQ outside Brest. Dunno what for. The German air defense loses a lot of aircraft there. BTW on the second try there are no German air units in the battle at all and the HQ takes some losses. Guess I am just trying to appear nasty.
- In the same mood, the Med RAF Bomber group attacks the Italian airfield at Matrula but this doesn't go too well. We lose about 40 planes to their 15.

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Allied Turn 60 / 18th August 1940

- Greece surrenders. Partisans emerge, but like in Yugoslavia they are immediately surrounded by overwhelming Axis forces.
- Axis breakthrough at El Alamein. The city itself and one hex beyond are taken in the Axis turn. XIII Cps and 31 Indian Armoured are pushed back, the KAR is attacked on the train and scattered. A pincer counterattack by 5 Indian Division and the Army of the Nile retakes one hex, but the position is fragile. Further reinforcements are railed into Alexandria this turn, including the heroes of East Africa, ANZAC and 9 South African Armoured, but they're pretty worn.
View attachment 29657
- Since Axis naval forces support the fight for Egypt, I send two carrier groups east from Suez, only to discover that with Malta gone I cannot move from the western to the eastern Med. So instead I attack a Vichy naval task force off Oran and disable one battlewagon and a few smaller surface units, but take heavy losses in aircraft. Indefatigable's air group evaporates.

 

[sapper32]

Re: Allied Turn 60 / 18th August 1940

Your positions in Egypt are similar to my axis game going on,ive stalled short of El Alamein on turn 102,do you intend to send troops from England to bolster the 8th Army,Enjoying the AAR

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Re: Allied Turn 60 / 18th August 1940

do you intend to send troops from England to bolster the 8th Army

I thought about that! But I am still a bit nervous about an invasion of the UK, plus I lost Malta, so I can't actually sea transport anything thru the Med.

 

[KG_RangerBooBoo]

Re: Allied Turn 60 / 18th August 1940

Just took the time to catch up this morning. Nicely done Dierk!

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Allied Turn 61 / 28th August 1940

- Disaster in Egypt! Another Axis breakthrough, the Army of the Nile plus most of my armor are cut off and destroyed, and apparently without a chance for reconstitution. :OHNO: I am pushing to the front anything that's still available--that's mostly the troops that have fought in East Africa--but the prospect looks gloomy. - I have embarked one-half of British III for shipment around the Cape (!) to Suez. They're presently in Gibraltar and most likely won't make it in time to save the Middle East.
View attachment 29708
- Also very bad, my abortive attack on the French fleet off Oran has activated all Vichy units in North Africa. Like stirring up a hornets' nest. Didn't need that.
- An Italian corps lands in Cyprus; Nicosia falls.
- Axis troops massing on the Turkish border. Apparently these guys' hunger for conquests is completely limitless.

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Allied Turn 62 / 1st September 1940

- Egypt continues to be a nightmare. Axis troops keep advancing, and we keep retreating, involuntarily of course. Allied troops have begun to blow the bridges over the Nile. The last reinforcements are railed in from East Africa (a badly worn 4th Indian Division). They won't save the day.
View attachment 29748
- The relief expedition from the UK via Gibraltar fails due to a curious incident. When I shipped one-half of III British Cps down from Hull, it had just under 5000 weight. However, by sitting in Gibraltar for less than a single turn it seems to have gained a little weight and it can no longer embark. Very odd, because it was full strength to start with. To be sure, the other half I left behind, which used to be just over 5000, is now just under 5000. Could they have switched weights? Very very odd.

 

[Secadegas]

Re: Allied Turn 62 / 1st September 1940

The relief expedition from the UK via Gibraltar fails due to a curious incident. When I shipped one-half of III British Cps down from Hull, it had just under 5000 weight. However, by sitting in Gibraltar for less than a single turn it seems to have gained a little weight and it can no longer embark. Very odd, because it was full strength to start with. To be sure, the other half I left behind, which used to be just over 5000, is now just under 5000. Could they have switched weights? Very very odd.

It's odd but not uncommon.
These big EA units are never at full strength due to equipment transitions. There are always some equipment slots at 0 which are being fullfilled as the equipment gets available. If that half unit received some of that equipment while sitted at Gibraltar that's the explanation for "getting weight". At the worst time for you...
Please mind that even a small movement results on losing some equipment and that represent less weight.
You'll have to be fast moving the "thin" half to Gibraltar while below 5000, recombine the unit and divide it by 3 in order to ship it. Otherwise you run the risk of having your 1/2 unit blocked at Gibraltar for many months...

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Re: Allied Turn 62 / 1st September 1940

You'll have to be fast moving the "thin" half to Gibraltar while below 5000, recombine the unit and divide it by 3 in order to ship it. Otherwise you run the risk of having your 1/2 unit blocked at Gibraltar for many months...

Fortunately, that's exactly what I did this turn.

Thanks for the explanation.