TAIFUN (Axis) vs smckechnie (Allies) Full game 1939

[Taifun]

The Soviets further redeployed their forces during August. Near Moscow they reinforced the threatened the eastern sector near Ryazan with 2 Infantry corps and brought forward an antitank unit that closed the gap in the line.

August 28 1942
Unable to pierce a gap in the fortifications in the western sector our attack was redirected to the weaker southeastern sector. Here 3 enemy units were destroyed including the antitank and furthermore, the 2 newly arrived Infantry corps defending Ryazan were severely damaged. Penza was captured as the town was not defended opening the road towards Kuybyshev: A BIG MISTAKE as we will soon discover.
Another Hungarian Army and our German antitank unit arrived as new reinforcements for General Rommel.
At this moment we expected a heavy Soviet tank counterattack near Ryazan…

[Taifun]

With the help of German panzerforces the Italians captured the besieged city of Voronezh. The supply situation in General von Manstein area is complicated but our troops are now ready to assault the city of Saratov next turn. Our intrepid reconnaissance unit is near the Caspian Sea…

The USSR morale is now 58%. A new record of 210 MPPs sunk near Petsamo is set by our U-Boote.

[petedalby]

This is a great AAR. Thanks for taking the time and trouble to post it.

[Taifun]

Many thanks petedalby I am glad that you enjoy... reporting only 2 turns behind the current turn!

During September the Soviets massed all their available armor around Moscow. No less than 3 Heavy tanks units together by 3 medium T-34s tank units (all level 2) defended the critical Moscow’s sector.

September 25 1942
For all that Rommel was able to array against the Soviet capital and for all the professionalism of his forces, on the opposing side the Soviets met the Germans with fanatical levels of determination and their trademark resilience in the face of daunting odds. The Wehrmacht was running out of time. The summer weather was still holding but soon the mud and rain will arrive.

After a heavy bombardment the elite Soviet Army defending the Kaluga-Moscow road hex was finally destroyed and the key hex captured. The German anti-tank was positioned adjacent to the Moscow city hex. The town of Ryazan was captured in the southeast sector and Rommel sent 2 motorized panzerkorps north, extending the front, and threatening to cut the Vladimir-Kazan road.
Further south General von Manstein captured after a furious fight the city of Saratov.
But the real GAME CHANGING event was the German reinforcement of Penza: the town was captured last August turn strength 4 and this current turn turned strength 5 and troops could be operated. The last available German HQ (from Finland) was operated to the town along with a fully rested and refitted panzerkorps (from near Volkhov), an Infantry corps and our fallschirmjagers paras. The paras were operated and made ready to jump IN FULL VIEW of the Soviet troops defending the area. Not only was now Kuybyshev in grave danger but the paras could fly and reach deep into the Soviet territory menacing Perm and many other localities in the Urals: a nuclear bomb… A mayor threat that the Soviets could not ignore…

[fluidwill]

Great AAR, thanks.

[Taifun]

Thanks fluidwill matrix!

While the Germans in the Eastfront were growing in size the Red Army was shrinking fast. With only 32 units to defend the USSR they redeployed again the available troops.
At last they launched a belated heavy tank counterattack that destroyed the German Army holding the key road hex Kaluga-Moscow while the whole Moscow’s west fortified sector was evacuated. A couple of tank units (1 heavy) were operated to defend their alternate Capital Kuybyshev.

October 1942
The rain arrived and the mud. The situation had changed radically in the Moscow sector. Moscow is now defended by a Soviet Army recently operated that lacks entrenchment. Two German Armies are moved forward next to the Capital followed by our artillery that will now be in range.
General Rommel orders north our 2 motorized panzerkorps that destroy a unit of Soviet medium tanks, reach the outskirts of Gorky and destroy an armored train located in the city. From Penza a panzerkorps destroys the newly arrived Soviet medium tanks and the following German Infantry Corps crosses the Volga and damages severely a fighter group based in Kuybyshev.

[Taifun]

General von Manstein’s troops regroup in Saratov while the recon unit reaches the Urals. The whole Soviet front is crumbling… will the weather stop the Germans before is too late?

[John B.]

Great AAR. Thanks for your efforts. Boy, the USSR really seems to be on the ropes!

[Taifun]

Many thanks John B. for following. I really appreciate the veterans support!

Lenin built it: Hitler broke it.
In a rainy November day, in his Kremlin’s dark private office, Stalin took the colossal and most difficult decision of the war: to evacuate Moscow and Kuybyshev. The Red Army was down to 26 land units after losing more than 21 land units during the last summer months. The Nazi invaders were approaching the Urals and the front was collapsing… The Western Democracies, with their Japan first strategy, denied the USSR a much needed second front…

[Taifun]

November 20 1942
More rain and more mud. Most of the remaining Soviet troops were operated to defend the Urals or retreated, acting as rearguards, to delay the German advance. The USSR took a huge moral hit with the loss of Moscow, Kuybyshev and Gorky (also taken after a brief fight). The Red Army has been defeated in a great summer camping. Not only all the primary objectives of Leningrad, Moscow and Stalingrad were achieved but the Red Army has virtually ceased to exist.

The deepening crisis.
The Red Army is a defeated force. With more than 21 land units lost during the last summer months of 1942, an average of more than 1000 MPPs per turn, and only getting about 300 MPPs per turn they will never recover. Although in the long term her prospects are worse than bleak, in the short term the mud and rain are the only Allies Stalin have left…

[Taifun]

No way out.
The very successful U-Boote champaign against the Allied Arctic convoys was one main factors that helped bring down the USSR too its knees. Up to November 20 1942 the western democracies had sent 4039 MPPs via convoys to Stalin but a staggering 1700 MPPs were lost (42% sunk ). Worse still, since February 1942 the losses have been terrible, only getting about 60 MMPs per turn while more than 180 MPPs were lost (75%-80% sunk). Soon, with the arrival of winter, the port of Arkhangetsk will be close and not a single MPP will arrive by ship…

[Taifun]

The question that naturally arose as Japan tightened her grip on the DIE and the Philippines was what steps she proposed to take in the next critical phase of the war. When Japan went to war against the USSR she did so only to cut the US aid to Stalin. Suddenly the war came with the US and the British Empire. In the Southeast area she was committed to a policy of securing objectives that she intended to maintain through a battle of attrition along a defensive perimeter. Despite no easy successes in the initial months of the war, two matters had become extremely clear by July 1942.  First, it had become clear that the Western Democracies were giving priority to check the Japanese advances everywhere, engaging countless land forces supported by strong Naval and Air Forces. Second, the Imperial Navy had failed either to destroy or to neutralize the enemy’s main CV force.
The question that Japan faced was how best to consolidate her success. Since Japan was in a position of material inferiority to her enemies, her only compensation was to remain on the offensive. Essentially Japan faced three major options. She could extend her operations southwards against Australia, eastwards into the Pacific, or westwards into the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean option was the selected one as it was the more rewarding (and I have used it previously successfully 2 times against veteran players, marcinus1985 and calcwerc).

[Taifun]

August 24 1942
The Japanese will risk everything on a mayor military and naval effort in the Indian Ocean against Ceylon and a suitable port in India. As a preliminary, for several months, Japan increased sub operations near Sidney and New Zealand to mislead the Allies. The Japanese knew that 2 British CVs were operating in the Bay of Bengal but had no information about the US carriers. The Kido Butai with 4 carriers after refitting and resting in Japan left the home ports end of August and headed towards the South China Sea. The land forces earmarked for the initial landings would be the troops that conquered Java (3 SNF units plus HQ fully refitted and rested) and they would be reinforced later by several Armies released from the China front.
At this time Singapore was about to fall as the defending Indian Army was exhausted. But in Sumatra another Indian Army left behind was still holding Padang while Kuching (Sarawak) and Brunei were still in enemy hands…

[Taifun]

At this exact moment the USA launched their first offensive of the war in the Central Pacific. Non-defended Tarawa was captured in the Gilbert Islands by an Infantry corps. At Truk a Japanese tactical bomber wing was destroyed and the key port captured by a team of US marines and an Infantry corps with US carrier support. Saipan and San Jose in the Marianas were bombarded by US ships to spot our defenses.
Singapore was evacuated by the Indians safely…

September 25 1942
The attack comes as a complete surprise for Japan. The Kido Butai is immediately recalled to defend the homeland and turns back in haste towards Iwo Jima. Our maritime bombers in the Marianas damage a BB and CA and a Japanese CVL damages the sub.

[Taifun]

Meanwhile a reconnaissance by our forces of the Bay of Bengal and Northern India revealed the Allied troops and air groups dispositions. Calcutta was defended by an Indian infantry corps and Vizagapatam by Indian special forces. From the area around Ledo operated the enemies’ bombers.

There are several areas of the world that could vie for the unenviable title of the worst theater in which men had to do battle during WWII and Burma’s Indian border claims for this dubious distinction are particularly strong. The jungle terrain and roads are terrible. In difficult combat, the last Chinese troops isolated at Lashio were about to be destroyed. A Japanese Army advancing in the jungle towards Kohima Pass successfully pushed back the US Marines. But the writing was on the wall: the Indian Ocean offensive was cancelled until further notice. The Japanese now turned Burma as a buffer zone, a shield for the gains they made in the Indies.

[Taifun]

October 1942
The US continued their offensive operations and Rabaul was captured by a US AA unit. A combined Allied multi national Task Force entered the Java Sea and blocked the Dutch ports. An Australian DD blocked Penang port in Malaysia. Two US maritime bombers stationed Kuching and Brunei attacked a Japanese destroyer at Saigon in a show of force!

Tojo reacted firmly to this Allied offensive. The Marianas Islands and several other Japanese possessions were reinforced in the Pacific. Our bombers sunk the Australian DD blocking Penang and damaged severely the Australian CA in the Java Sea. In Burma the Japanese are crushing the last Chinese around Lashio.

[Marcinos1985]

Allies allocated plenty of resources to Pacific/Asia, there's a heavy bomber near Ledo. We will see how it plays out.

[Taifun]

November 20 1942
The Allied multi national Task Force that entered the Java Sea left the area heading east and was spotted southwest of Truk by Japanese maritime bombers based in the Palaus. Attacking under zero fighter escorts from the Marianas, the Dutch CL was hit but a British CV intercepted the raid. In a second attack the British CV was targeted and a second British CV intercepted the raid. Now the Allies have regrouped all their carriers together around the Caroline Islands (5-6 CVs). With the enemy possessing a clear superiority of numbers in all types of warships, the Japanese knew that they could not risk a direct confrontation.

[Taifun]

December 1942-January 1943
The Allies continued their offensive in the Pacific. Australian troops captured Dili in Timor, Lae and Wewak in Papua together with Hollandia and Sorong in Dutch New Guinea (all not defended by our troops). They hold firmly Guam, their forward bastion, the island being defended by a US AA and an Infantry corps. Guadalcanal and our possessions in the Marshall Islands are bombarded by BBs, a preliminary before an amphibious assault…

January 15 1943
The Japanese launch operation “BLEACH” a counterattack in Borneo! From Singapore our land bombers plaster Kuching and eliminate a US heavy bomber based Kuching. A unit of SNL forces land near Miri and attack the US fighters based there. The Kido Butai CVs finish the job eliminating the US fighters and a unit of US Maritime Bombers based Brunei. In the following turns all the land units are destroyed out of supply: the Indian special forces, the Infantry corps and the garrison. Borneo is now Allied disinfected for good! [:)]

[Taifun]

February 1943
The Allies captured an empty Port Moresby and Majuro island in the Marshalls but Kwajalein and Eniwetok are still in our hands. At Guadalcanal 3 marine units landed and attacked Kukum and the last starved Japanese defenders will die for the Emperor next turn. (I think that this was an expensive expedition, an overkill and that those 3 marine units could have been better employed somewhere else in the Pacific or Europe).

The last Soviet defenders were clustered around Perm. Fighting for their last Capital.