Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by LiquidSky »


Apparently I have been invaded in Sardinia. A lone American division braves the beach right where my naval interdiction ends.

The Italian airforce for which I have held back from the fight in Sicily, is now tasked with guarding the seas around Italy. As Mussolini said, Italy is an aircraft carrier in the med.

I suspect that I might have been invaded elsewhere as well, but the interdiction will delay it. With the loss of 88 LB's, 40 Patrol and 16 TB's, I will not be able to sustain it.


Here is the glorious seas around Italy...controlled by Axis.

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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by LiquidSky »



I have to admit though, I never expected an invasion in Sardinia. When Italy surrenders, they give the Island up for free. And the Italians surrender when a check is passed when:
1) All of Sicily is allied....or,
2) All of Sardinia is allied...or,
3) The moment an invasion is launched against mainland Italy...or,
4) An in-supply allied unit is in mainland Italy.

Impossible to stop 3). Which leads to 4) being impossible.

The check is the CV of Germans in Italy...divided by 4. With 200 giving 100%. Meaning I would need 800 German CV..not within 10 hexes of an allied unit.
Not gonna happen. I do have around 200 CV not near allies...but when he invades? Who knows. Probably going to be around a 25% chance of holding on.


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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by Gunnulf »

21-28 Aug 43 - Turn 8 & 9

Busy few days at real world SHAEF so bit slow to write up. Main focus obviously on the Med - well aware of the minimum time needed to prep in a level 6 port Liquidsky flips the auto-navalpatrol button and the Italian air force gets busy dominating its sphere of the sea. Luckily the only bit of sea we needed this turn was the path to Sardinia and the invasion goes ahead. We don't anticipate German resistance and aware that it will flip if/when the Italians surrender, but thats still a big question mark on when while there are Germans in Messina. Everybody else takes the hint with the threat of being cut off and bugs out but 2 divisions of Fallshirmjager hold the proverbial fort generating an estimated 310 CV. Clearly thats going to take some firepower to shift so just as well we went to the trouble of Plan B to avoid a complete stalemate. In the meantime preparations are ongoing elsewhere obviously. As per billing Liquidsky knows every trick and angle in the book so this was never going to be a cakewalk but lets see what we can do...

Otherwise on the VP front, bombing still at +10 but clearly drawing down on Garrisons now as no negative VP from that and thus +8 overall in turn 9. September on the horizon and 5th Army gets its quota of artillery. We were never going to invade properly until that turned up as we certainly expect a hot reception.

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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by Gunnulf »

4 Sep 43 - Turn 10

Quick update as relatives here for the long weekend and apparently the long haired CinC feels I'm being anti-social... Clearly doesn't realise whats at stake here. Anyway, there is somewhat of a Mexican standoff on the outskirts of Messina. Huge CV in an city from 2 FJ Divs, and we don't have a huge appetite for trashing 8th Army in a Siciligrad. On Sardinia the mainly US expeditionary force secures the airfields in the Caligiari suburbs which are an important new asset, and the city should fall next turn. No doubt there is at least 1 German unit in Olbia so that might take a while to secure the whole island but it should be easier than Messina. Famous last words.

Otherwise bombing the Reich continues. Air losses light on both sides with only contact from the night fighters with 8th AF getting free runs in SW Germany. So far nowhere near the losses of historical 1943 and both bomber forces have near 100% operational availability, hardly any needing rest for morale breaks. VP wise +10 bombing +2 cities -2 Uboats -2 losses -1 Partisans Overall +7 so still creeping in the right direction.

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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by LiquidSky »



Sadly, despite a rather large commitment of German CV to Italy....the Italians surrender when the Allies invade around Brindisi.

To defend Italy, I put one Panzer corp around Taranto....another near Naples, and a third near Rome in anticipation of invasion sites, so the LXXVI Panzer Corp under General Herr is in the vicinity of the invasion site.

Not a lot of interdiction in front of the beach heads...I think I can take one of them at least.

Holding Messina no longer means anything, although I was going to remove one of the FJ anyways to help guard around Reggio Calabria..now they will make a run for it up the coast.

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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by LiquidSky »



In an epic battle for the British beachhead..the Panzers were stopped by the valiant efforts of the British and American navies.

But it was close...oh so very close....

I agonized for a while over what to commit or do. I could have drawn a line using Taranto/the hills/the coastal hex with the fort to wall in the invasion area. I could have also thrown in two more units. Ah well....I may not have overcome the emergency beachhead defence, but I did cause some real casualties to the British which will help victory points.



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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by LiquidSky »



After much agonizing, thought and half a bottle of wine I decide to launch a second deliberate attack...with only 2 of the 4 units capable.

This time the Luftwaffe decided to make an appearance, and the British are forced back from the Beachhead. I figured that even if I bounced again, the losses to the British would have been worth it.

Now to decide if I want to advance into the hex adjacent to two fleets...and with no Fort.

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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by LiquidSky »



I wish I could capitalize on this invasion, but he has only committed half his amphibs. With 3 more capable of invading somewhere, I still have to guard all the ports and keep the rest of my panzers in reserve to react. And there is no way I will be able to kick him out of Brindisi as it is both a port and city, so I have to content myself with what I was able to do, and guard the exit to the peninsula...and await the next invasion.
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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by Gunnulf »

11 Sep 43 - Turn 11

Yes, after 3 bottles of wine and very little thought we decide to force the issue and get ashore in Italy. Given the amount of naval patrol the Italians were throwing out (obviously the leaders we have been negotiating with neglected to tell the Regia Aeronautica to go easy a bit...) it was never going to be a pain free operation, but rather than take the losses bludgeoning uselessly at Messina we decided to take a few risks at sea. Having already long ago picked west of Brindisi as the (relatively) least risky spot we kept with this a few turns ago. Any other realistic site was going to be immediately locked down on the hills overlooking the beaches, or in Calabria at the neck. Still it will be tough to get out of the peninsula but at least with a port and potentially air bases. We contenplated delaying longer to add an extra division or brigade to strengthen the landings slightly but decided to go with single divisions at 80% prep, rightly or wrongly, and 82nd Airborne in support.
It took the whole of Strategic, Tactical and Coastal commands to bludgeon a path through to the beaches and could have almost fallen short at any point in the chain. As it is the area directly around the proposed beachhead was at 3 vs 3 with some stiff fights with the Italians at all points. We almost consider scrubbing the enterprise and writing it off as a diversionary ruse but the cat is out of the bag and we pull the trigger. Naval attrition is 17 & 18 and the 2nd wave loses a number of ships maneuvering into a position to follow up but the die is cast and the invasion goes ahead. Turn not yet opened but you can get the gist of it above obviously. Sounds suitably brutal but perhaps less than our worst fears and maybe the gamble has paid off. Given the prospect of waiting longer and facing mud and misery, changing sites to something a little safer, but more lock-downable, then this was maybe the least worst option, but time will tell. Liquidsky certainly made it as tough as possible from every angle, but it will be a couple of hours before get to assess the damage firsthand. Better get a few more bottles of wine in I think...

In other news Caligliari fell last turn! Yay! Obviously given the Italians surrendered this is a moot point, but the surrender trigger was never guaranteed. Better odds now September and I had an reasonable clue that anti-partisan garrisons in North Italy were minimal given the VPs generated but still. We'll see a bit later if Olbia was garrisoned as suspected and whats happened in Corsica. Strongly suspect those are still held in some way shape or form...

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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by LiquidSky »



I have to admit that I wouldnt have invaded on that side....I prefer a more cautious approach of invading close to Reggio...and more invasions along the way up the coast. Once you have landed, the Italians will surrender. Maybe not right away, but you get a check every turn you are in supply. And Axis units close to the front dont count for preventing it.

It is lucky that the Italians surrendered. They do have very good aircraft at interdicting the sea zones. And their fighters are a free loss at shooting down whatever they can get. As it stands I think the Italian fighters only got to fly for one turn. The patrol/torpedo planes probably only had a couple more turns left in them. Operational losses were just too much.


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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by Gunnulf »

So, we assessed the damage. Could have been much worse for sure. Lots of damage on the way there, lots of damage from the reception committee. But we are ashore, one less beachhead than we'd have liked but c'est le vie. We're not getting to Berlin without cracking a few eggs. Might not get there at all obviously, we'll see! Its almost like Liquidsky doesn't want that to happen... With a full corps ashore the peninsula should be relatively secure but certainly not easy to break out of. Luckily we have other plans afoot.
Meanwhile 8th Army crosses the Messina straits in requisitioned pleasure cruisers in style without a shot fired. I was half expecting the FJ tribe to at least try to buy a week or 2 further delay here. Of course the neck is almost as easy to defend. Also of note the Luftwaffe is conspicuous by its absence still but I have a feeling I know why and they certainly won't stay silent forever.
And finally Corsica and Sardinia flip without a shot. The latter not surprising but I can't see too much benefit to not putting a few units to use securing the Italians and forcing an invasion, even if its emptied later. But I'll take the gift as a gesture of goodwill.





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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by EwaldvonKleist »

Thank you for the AAR, a good read.
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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by LiquidSky »



It's probably going to be a bit quiet for a while...bad weather has arrived, and I don't expect any devestating invasions until the airbases on Corsica/Sardinia are built up.

Popular invasions sites are right in front of Rome, and on the Adriatic around Pescara. The Rome invasion site is a bit chancy because you need air cover. For that you need Corsica...and the Germans can bomb it. I tend to favour the Adriatic side, as the coast is more clear..and the Foggia airfields are very very useful.

Invading around Naples is kind of dangerous...and should probably only be done if you are driving north from Reggio and are past the neck.

The plum of the Italian campaign is Rome though. By itself it is worth a lot of VP... I made a mistake last time I played when I gave up Rome. This time I am going to fill it with supplies and park the FJ in it. Also build up a bunch of forts around the city.



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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by Gunnulf »

25 Sep 43 - Turn 13

Yes, all quiet on the southern front at the moment. 5th Army consolidates the Brindisi PoW camp/beachhead and scopes out the opposition, which of course is considerable. Meanwhile 8th Army crawls up the toe from Reggio, though they will no doubt hit a wall at the top of Calabria. But at least we are so far saved the ignominy of a failed landing and the prospect of -400VPs. Its not too hard to avoid, but certainly not a certainty... Most of the Mediterranean air force is ensuring the sea lanes so far so losses low and morale high. In fact morale fairly high everywhere in the air, I tend to make my first action to filter on anything with a morale lower than 49 or 55 depending on how generous we are feeling, and fatigue higher than around 25 to rest, but usually its only a handful of units as the Luftwaffe isn't engaging too hard. That's keeping his numbers up but our fighters are only going to get longer and longer ranges and more numerous as time goes on. We'll see.
VP wise we advance +11 overall due to the bombing campaign and low losses and low partisan operations. The bombing is still not reaping stellar results very probably as Liquidsky is keeping a lid on things by deploying all his construction units in the Reich. But I guess if they are clearing rubble there they are not building defenses elsewhere... Ok, so I might be being a tad optimistic there.



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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by LiquidSky »



Aerial reconnaissance of Corsica shows no allied aircraft at all. Which makes it seem doubtful that an invasion is planned for in front of or north of Rome.
Which makes me think that the invasion will be a more conservative one either between Naples and Rome, or just south of Naples.

With Rome being worth 8 vp's a turn in 1943, and 5 points a turn in the first half of 1944, I must garrison it and the surrounding area. At least until I see all 6 amphibs committed.
Losing Rome in 1943 is almost the equivalent to his strat bombing campaign.

Luftwaffe Reich is in excellent shape. I've never seen it looking so good. Hermann just won't shut up about it at parties. He vows allied bombs will never fall on Berlin.

Oh....this is interesting. Apparently Jodl was sacked some time ago. Guderian is now in charge of OKW. He probably would have been better off in a Panzer Corp HQ.

Near Brindisi....the LXXVI Panzer Corp attacks the lone British 5th Infantry division and despite what looks like over a hundred Shermans...is forced to retreat back down the Peninsula. Unfortunately, RECON picked up the presence of a British Tank division, and Gen. Herr prudently neglects to pursue.




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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by LiquidSky »



Meanwhile, the FJ continue their retreat north to functioning rail lines with the 8th army in hot pursuit.

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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by Gunnulf »

*disclaimer: Size of cat not representive. Actual FJ divisions may contain traces of Tiger.
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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by Gunnulf »

2 Oct 43 - Turn 14

In which revenge is extracted against 76th Panzer Corps, or at least it is on the second attempt. No major breakthrough but a small step towards making the blocking position around Taranto untenable. Unescorted FW190s flying tactical support are dealt a heavy blow into the bargain. Not that it matters much.
8th Army continues the long march through Calabria, with Croton secured to provide more convenient supply than from Reggio, although the rail engineers are in hot pursuit to establish a rail link as well.
Elsewhere the bombing of the Reich continues, albeit in less than perfect conditions. Targets being the Ruhr for Bomber Command, and central Germany for 8th AF. Bombing points maxing out at +10VP, with a rare +11 so I suspect thats the ceiling, but at least overall the VP counter is moving in the right direction despite the ground losses.


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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by LiquidSky »



One thing I am noticing that is a lot different then last time I played...there are a lot less German units to throw about. Ideally I would love to have a division in every port, and the mech/panzer divs in somewhat striking distance....

But there isnt enough. And to make matters worse, some of my guys are leaving. 3 panzer divisions and 3 infantry divisions over the next few turns. One of which the 1st SS which is almost single-handedly garrisoning Northern Italy. My recent infantry reinforcements have to replace it.


But as it stands, I am holding the line at Taranto....not much chance of a breakout there. I am holding the line at the neck near Lauria with 3 FJ divisions and a Panzer Grenadier....weak, but hopefully enough to slow him.

The 1st and 4th FJ show their mettle by attacking and pushing back the 46th British division. However every attack makes your defence weaker, so this may come back to bite me.


I try to follow a strategy of containment. When the allies land, I try to hem them in for as long as possible....and attack only if there are odds of 3 or more to 1 (in units)

The Air war is ...strange. Usually I am hanging on by my fingernails, praying for bad weather. But my fighter squadrons are near full strength, and I have over 100 pilots in my pool. I keep every non-fighter squadron on RES, and put all the fighter squadrons on TPI. I recently lost almost all my tactical bombers because I didnt set their altitude. Not healthy to fly at 15k feet.

My bombers are having fun for now. I have them interdicting the sea zones along the Western coast of Italy on the enemy turn only. This is a trick I used to good effect in another game when I did it around Normandy...and bought a couple turns until the allies bombed the crap out of my airfields. If you fly on your own turn, you interdict logistics. If you fly on the enemy turn, you interdict movement.




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RE: Hanging washing on the Siegfried Line - Gunnulf (AL) v Liquidsky (AX)

Post by LiquidSky »


Not much going on now....Turn 18.

Heavy rain over Germany...no bombing.

And this is the Italian front. I am guessing that rain is preventing a new invasion in Italy, but I am also wondering if he has pulled everything back to invade either Southern France or even cross-channel?



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