The reinforcements delayed during Turn 3, now appear on the battlefield, providing desperately needed support to the Turk MLR, allowing for some defense in depth.
The fighting has moved far enough east that many of the best Axis air assets are either out of range, or have to stage up to reach the battlefield, and return to Istanbul’s overcrowded airfields.
This will be a difficult turn for the Axis, as Fall and possible bad weather is approaching.
Axis forces continued to move aggressively towards Ankara via the narrow valley just north and west of the capital. In addition, the SS Corps drove south in an attempt to flank the main Turk defenses.
The main effort was against Hex 0414. The basic odds were 41:8 with a -1 for rough terrain, and a +3 for AECA. Turkish A-19 and H-111 squadrons flew DS, but were countered by Luftwaffe assets staging up through Istanbul. The final odds were 5-1, +2. The die roll was a 2, modified to a 4, for a DH result. The surviving Turkish units retreated one hex.
The SS attack fared eaven worse. Despite 6:1 odds with a +1 modifier, a 1 was rolled, for a DR result. Ugh!
Rather than continue blasting away in the south, the SS corps exploited back northeast to assist in the now tenuous main effort.
Bad die resulted in far fewer reinforcements than needed. Other units were rushed west to create yet another flawed defense line. Always one unit, or one more movement hex is/are needed. Well, this line might hold for a bit. Really needed those six, 3-6 divisions!
Two attacks for the turn.
The first was against Hex 0315, Duzce.
Initial odds were 19:8, +3 for AECA. Threw a lot of air at the hex in order to increase the odds to 5:1. The Turks came up to fight, and attempted to bypass the two escorts. The P-40 was shot down on a roll of 2 (!). The Mixed Fighter unit got through, but could not shoot down the targeted Stuka unit. Turkish flak was ineffective. The combat die roll of 2, was modified to 5, for a DE result.
Here’s the air matchup. Note that only six air units were eligible for the mission (one per RE), not the eight shown.
The second attack was against Hex 4625. The odds were 5:1 (with some help from a single Axis air unit), with a -2 for wooded rough terrain, and -1 for the defending armor cadre’s AECD. The die roll of 6 was modified to 3, for a DR result and a ZOC kill.
The Axis pushed up through the Turk defenses during the Exploitation Phase.
Been TAD for past two weeks. Forgot to take notes after Axis move, so will rely on a photo to provide the description.
The problem is too many low odds attacks. Allocation of air assets will be critical. Have to work those out.
Fortunately, the Turks received all of those postponed Turn 1 mobilization units, which are sorely needed to help build a new defensive line northwest of Istanbul. Especially helpful are four anti-aircraft units.
The new positions try to take advantage of the rougher terrain. However, the low rail capacity limited the number of units moving to the new area of operations.
Axis pushed their assaults east of Instanbul.
The 40th Corps attacked Uskudar. Basic odds were 15:6, AECA of +3, but with significant air assets allocated. These aircraft staged up to Istanbul. Two Turk fighter units attempted to bypass the escort.
The ME-110 shot down the P-24, while the P-40 was aborted. The final odds were 31:8 (!!!), but with a roll of “1” and the +3, the Turk units retreated, with one unit destroyed in a ZOC kill, and the other reduced to cadre.
The attack on Hex 0219 involved the 14th Corps at basic odds of 41:7, with AECA of +3. One Dornier unit added ground support. At odds of 6:1, with a +3, on a roll of 5, the Turk units were eliminated.
Axis units to the north and west of Istanbul moved to contain Turkish units but did not attack due to low odds and lack of air support.
German units advanced in preparation for their Exploitation Phase.
In the Exploitation Phase, the 40th Corps pushed hard east, overruning three unfortunate Engineer units (shown off table in the following shot). Other mech/motorized units advanced east, also, with the SS corps remaining behind to support attacks against by-passed Turk infantry units.
General mobilization occured during the Initial Phase. The bulk of the 2-8 self supported mountain divisions were upgraded to 4-8 strength divisions. Border troops and the Izmir fortress cadre were also upgraded. However, the Turks rolled poorly on the Success Table, receiving only one out of a possible five new infantry divisions. They fared little better with construction and artillery units. The construction units were consolidated to begin “quick constructing” forts.
Fortunately, the Turks will receive all “missing” units during Turn Two.
Undermanned, and with units scattered all over Anatolia, the Turks were barely able to build a defense line east of Uskudar. The limited rail capacity of 15 Regimental Equivalents (REs), was further degraded by a German harassment mission, interdicting the rail and road hub at Eskisehir.
Their best hope is that the units at Uskudar will delay the Germans, allowing the Turks to further build up defenses during Turn 2.
Tim and I set up on last (1/5) Saturday afternoon, and spent the evening watching the Seahawks lose; and Spinal Tap….which is always a winner.
Started playing before 0900 on Sunday and didn’t quit until 2200 or so.
The game doesn’t have a lot of counters, and the map size is modest. But, it’s long slog. With Soviet and NATO turns involving double impulses, a very active air war, and some accounting, we had to push it to get three turns in. Yes, we had an emergency beer run, but we really maintained our focus.
I fouled up by having several divisions advance towards the border in the NATO reaction phase after the Pact player intial set-up and before the first move. Can you say “envelopment”? Three would be eliminated in a series of exchanges that opened up a corridor for Soviet advances.
On the other hand, the surviving units provided hedgehogs in full city hexes, where a unit ignores retreat results. US Divisions and airmobile units for all countries have zones of control (ZOC) that reach out two hexes. Entering and leaving ZOCs takes an extra movement point, so these units can really slow down the Soviets.
Other Pact attacks developed near Denmark and against Jugoslavian units in in the Southwestern Theater. The Austrians had the sense to (at least initially) remain neutral.
Nato used both of their Turn 1 impulses to patch together a MLR on both sides of the Rhine. Weaker units were used to garrison ports and cities to prevent a Pact vertical envelopment. Territorial units were slow to activate, hampering NATO efforts.
During the first impulse of the Turn 2, Warsaw Pact units surrounded isolated NATO units, eliminated them, and rapidly advanced to the Rhine, establishing a lodgement. Pact forces pushed NATO units out of Jutland, and slowly advanced in the Southwest Theater.
Suprisingly, but maybe not, the Soviets pulled back their attrited units to reorganize. This increases combat proficieny, eliminating potential negative combat shifts.
NATO units used their Turn 2 to continue bolstering their defenses along the Rhine, reacting to the Pact’s attempts to envelop from the South.
Soviet units assaulted along the Rhine River during Turn 3, but their successes were on the flanks, pushing back NATO units in The Netherlands, destroying a valuable POMCUS site, and continuing their envelopment to the South. It was only through bad die rolling that a Soviet airdrop in Belgium was foiled.
Again, NATO units could only react during their Turn, pulling in both flanks and trying to develop a defense in depth with smaller units to defend against the enveloped. NATO forces reduced, but were unsuccessful in eliminating the Pact lodgement over the Rhine. In the Southwest Theater Italian forces grudgingly gave ground against steady Soviet pressure.
The Air War was bitterly contested. During his first turn, Tim used cratering missions to good effect. These eliminated sorely needed NATO aircraft. Both sides rolled poorly during the first turn’s maintenance phase, reducing aircraft availability. After that, serviceability rates improved, but missions were devoted to close-in support.
The Axis 40th and 14th Corps moved through Istanbul, with the 14th Corps establishing a lodgement across the Bosphorous. The Turkish Blenheim air unit escaped destruction. Both these corps were reinforced anticipating Turkish counterattacks.
The SS Corps moved to surround the Turkish infantry division to its front, while Luftwaffe and Army motorized infantry assets moved east to provide airfield security.
Turkish air units involved in the fighting west of Istanbul returned to a variety of interior locations, but the P-40, P-24 and A-19 squadrons remained at the front.
