JohnCon 2014 - After Action PbP

[Mark]

End of Turn 15 - Spring 1943

Fighting continues in the Soviet Union. . .In the South, the Russians liberate Stalingrad and advance, though Manstein executed a successful withdraw and has established a stronger German line behind the Don anchored on Rostov.  In Northern Russia, Koniev launched his Spring offensive and the fourth battle of Vyazma against Army Group Center and drove Model back to Smolensk.  Army Group North and the Finns continue to hold their positions while the Germans begin to fortify 'the Panther Line' in Lithuania and Belorussia as a potential fall-back position.

In Norway, Kleist launched his offensive against the Allies in central Norway.  The SS Panzer, artillery and airpower proved to be decisive with the Germans successfully defeating the Allied front line taking only minimal casualties.  Many allies marched off to German POW camps. . .

In North Africa, Rommel's isolated army in the Libyan desert was attacked and wiped out. . .many Germans (and also Rommel) marched off to Allied POW camps. . .The Allies also successfully landed at Casablanca, but the Vichy continue to fight for the Axis.  The German high command decides to fight on in Tunisia and landed a new reinforced Panzer Armee Afrika at Tunis under Kesselring and Messe.  However, the Allied armies, now under command of Patton and Montgomery are poised to advance into Tunisia from the South as their newly landed army in Morocco readies to drive across French North Africa in the Summer.

U-boats are still active in the North Atlantic from their bases on the Bay of Biscay as the German forces in France continue to build the Atlantic Wall. . .

[Mark]

End of Turn 16 - Summer 1943

In Southern Russia, Manstein continues to hold his defensive line on the Don/Donetz and along the Perekop Isthmus.  The Soviets, however, have reinforced the Crimean Front under Rokossovsky which is significantly threatening Army Group South's flank.  In the North, Malinovsky's army cracked the German defenses at Pskov, unhinging the German main line of defense and forcing Army Group's North and Center to fall back to the Panther Line.  Koniev liberates Smolensk.

In the Med, the Allied army in Morocco drove across Northern Algeria and joined Patton's army driving up from Tunisia through Tebessa.  The Vichy forces quickly collapsed and surrendered to the Allies at the end of the turn.  Facing two significant armies and still suffering from supply shortages, Kesselring withdrew the German Panzer Armee successfully from Tunis and landing most of it in Southern France and Sicily.

The Allies redeployed many of their resources back to England on the non-combat movement phase to prepare for an Autumn invasion of Europe.  The Allies had the initiative - so their move was telegraphed to the Germans who also redeployed as many forces as they could to the Atlantic Wall to repel the anticipated Allied invasion.  The stage appears to be set for operation Anvil - will the German defenses hold?  Will a German mechanized counterattack drive the invaders back into the sea?  Will the Allies postpone their planned strike?  Autumn 1943 will be an interesting turn. . .

[John D.]

Intimidating coastal defenses in France, not to mention the deadly mech counter attack, once forces have landed. Allies need to move forward - the clock is ticking!!

[Mark]

End of Turn 17 - Autumn 1943

In Southern Russia, Rokossovsky and Vatutin launched a combined offensive against Army Group South.  With the Crimean Front, Rokossovsky drove Kuchler and the German defenders out of the Perekop Isthmus and back behind the Dnepr.  Simultaneously, Vatutin attacked Manstein's salient at Rostov from the North and South, forcing him to retreat back on Mariupol.  Koniev's Central front advancing on Orel from the North convinced the German high command to withdraw all of AGS back behind the Dnepr to stronger defensive positions on the non-combat phase.

In Northern Russia, the Soviets test the Axis defenses at Leningrad and find them to be very formidable.  Army Group North and Center defenses at the Panther Line continue to be reinforced and fortified.

In the Med: The end of the North African Campaign as Allied forces liberate Tunisia.  With the diversion of Allied landing craft to Northwest Europe, the Italians at least have a turn or two to fortify and defend Southern Europe.

Operation Anvil is launched in September against the Brittany coast.  Five front line landed infantry along with 3 para formations managed to successfully fight their way across the beaches and inland.  A ferocious German mechanized attack also failed to dislodge the Allies (though it almost succeeded by reducing the Allies down to 1 front line unit before the Germans were forced to withdraw).  Allied reinforcements were landed on the non-combat movement phase and additional German reinforcements were rushed into France to reinforce the newly created 1st and 3rd Panzer Armees with orders to "throw the Allies back into the sea!".  V-rockets, based in Holland, begin to hammer London in an effort to convince the Allies to negotiate an end to the war.

[Darkman]

Strong western defensive line Looks like you kick the allies back into the sea. Will an rushed Invasion lead to an axis victory

[Mark]

End of Turn 18 - Winter 1943

The third Winter of war in Russia. . . Rokossovsky's army continued its offensive over the Dnepr and broke through the German Army Group South defensive line.   Kuchler was replaced by Schorner and additional German reinforcements have been sent to stabilize the situation.  In the North, the Soviets have managed to isolate Leningrad and cut the Axis forces their out of supply.  Army Groups Center and North continue to hold their defensive line in Lithuania and Belorusia.

In the Med, the Allies shifted their naval and amphibious assets back to Tunisia.  Along with more reinforcements, it looks as if an amphibious invasion of Italy may be expected in the Spring.  In France, the Allies successfully defended their Brittany beachhead, though the battle of attrition inflicted significant casualties on both sides.

[Darkman]

Wow thought you would kick them out of france.. What happend to the german landing crafts? Late Invasion to England possible?

[Mark]

The Allies took the initiative and landed more troops in Brittany before the Germans could attack.   I believe John had Cunningham (4 initiative leader) with a bunch of transports off the coast of the USA so that he was assured to be able to move and reinforce before the Germans could attack.  That reinforced army, combined with attacking in the Winter and in rough terrain ultimately doomed the Axis assault.

[Darkman]

Wow pretty good forward planning

[Yoper]

I will guess that the Allies went into Anzio.  Looks like the easiest entry point.
 

[Mark]

End of Turn 19 - Spring 1944

In Southern Russia, a reinforced Army Group South forced Rokossovsky and Vatutin back over the Dnepr, but then withdrew on the non-combat phase back on a line from Kiev through Kirovo and Bessarabia. The Southern Soviet armies have been starved of reinforcements as the Russians pour all available troops into the north to crack the Axis defenses around Leningrad and Latvia. 

In the North, a cut-off Leningrad finally falls to Soviet pressure.  Mannerheim and what was left of the Finnish-German defenders march into captivity in Siberia.  The German Eastwall defensive line continues to hold, though the Germans continue to fortify their defenses in depth by forting down infantry behind the Dvina in Lithuania.

In the Med, the Allies invade Taranto and Southern Italy.  They opted for this territory as it provided much more port transport capacity than several of the other options and had a lighter defense than Sicily or Naples.  With the invasion and Allied dominance of the sea zones, Sicily is cut off and out of supply.  Kluge and Garibaldi have formed a defensive line with the remnants of the Southern Italian forces to defend Naples and the Allied approaches to central Italy and Rome.

In France, German attacks and Allied counterattacks ravage the Brittany countryside, but result in very little territory gains or losses.  The Allies managed to clear the Atlantic coastline of German units and fortifications, but had to withdraw during the mechanized phase back into Brittany.  Two seasons of attrition warfare has begun to sap German strength in France with all available local reinforcements being drawn into the armies defending Normandy and Paris.  With the thinning of garrison troops in Vichy, Rhone, Champaigne, and Dijon, French resistance has stepped up in these regions and the Germans are no longer collecting PP from these territories.  The remnants of the Luftwaffe has withdrawn out of range of Allies fighter in England and Brittany.

[Mark]

End of Turn 20 - Summer 1944

In France, the Allies finally break out of Brittany.  Patton smashed through German defenses in Normandy, while an Allied army under Truscott took Bordeux and sent an armored corps sweeping through the French countryside and liberating Dijon by August.  Kesselring reluctantly withdrew the 1st Panzer Army out of Paris during the non-combat phase while von Weichs withdrew the remnants of the 3rd Panzer Army into Flanders at the end of the turn. Garibaldi established an Axis army in Languedoc to defend Marseilles.  Importantly, Paris is still owned by the Axis - which is important for propaganda purposes. . .

In Italy, the Allies mopped up Axis resistance in Sicily and also took Naples.  Von Kluge established an Italian defensive line at Monte Casino.  Both sides have been thinned out from the last two seasons of fighting with most reserves being sent to France.

In Northern Russia, Zhukov's front blasted the Germans out of Latvia and drove the Axis forces behind the Dvina.  Koniev's front fails to drive Army Group Center out of its positions defending Minsk, though Paulus' army has been thinned considerably.  In the South, the Germans launch a surprise counter-offensive takeing back Odessa.  The ambitious German plan, which was only have successful, called for a reinforced panzer corps under Messe to strike South and seize the Crimea while a Northern thrust under Dietrich aimed at taking back Kharkov.  In the end, only Dietrich was successful in taking back a hard earned victory point.

[Mark]

VICTORY!  (Or Defeat, depending on your perspective. . .)

With the recapture of Kharkov, The Axis managed to win the game on victory points: 24 VPs at the end of Summer 1944!  The stalled Soviet advance and horrific losses of Allied soldiers I suppose contributed to a negotiated peace.  Chalk one up to the Axis - a win in 1944 is not too easy!

[Wolf]

   Congratulations to the Axis players for a hard-won victory.

With the early invasion of France, and the loss of the DAK, I thought things were a bit dire.

But, of course, a delay in the Eastern Objectives can mean all the difference.

It just reaffirms how pivotal the fall of Leningrad to the Germans really is.  So much time, energy and manpower poured into cracking that very tough nut.

Kudos, gentleman.

[John D.]

What a hard fought game. The beauty of this Struggle is that it is even fun to lose 

The time table puts so much pressure on the Allies (which is exhilarating) that planning is the key to the game.  The Allies need to have enough force and control losses  to keep pushing forward. It really is a game of finesse.
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