More Unconditional Surrender, this time the Operation Torch scenario. This one has a relatively low unit count but uses a double sized map and is the longest scenario I've played so far, with no less than eight turns (months).
All set up. The map stretches from Casablanca to Tripoli, but as with Third Reichs treatment of this area, there is only a narrow playable area along the coastal strip, which avoids silly outflanking via deep desert movement of large forces.
The Allies win by capturing every city in French North Africa, anything else is a win for the Axis. This one definitely requires reading some of the more obscure rules on naval landings, naval transport, port supply etc. The Allies can use a captured port as a supply source for two units (including air), while the Axis can only get Low Supply from a port. They can make a die roll to get up to full supply (50:50) as convoys battle their way through. Interestingly the low supply/unsupplied states mirror those I use in my own operational rules, PanzerGruppe.
The control sheet, there are lots of special events and you will also notice some French will and production markers. As I liked the look of the counters, I went with the optional rule to make the Vichy French stand and fight, so they have to be conquered like any other minor power. I balanced this by using the Allied optional rule of giving them their Ultra and Free French events up front, rather than dicing for their turn of
their arrival.
Vichy has three units, two garrison armies and one field army. Their Will is five so I need to capture either three cities or two cities and destroy their field army to get them to surrender. I'm sure that wont present any problems.
The initial Allied force consists of 1st US Army (motorised) and 1st Canadian Army (Armour). The US get an air wing too, and the British get 9th Army, a garrison unit. Given the length of front, that is a lot of ground for three ground units! The US force is an interesting one, being motorised it gets more attacks in good weather. but lacking armour, although it does have a 'tanks' event, presumably to represent the brief but glorious life of 1st Armored Div.
Tunisia and Libya are interesting. 5th Panzer Army starts in Tunis but cannot activate on turn 1. The Axis airforce is permanently based in Sicily and counts as an air unit with four sorties used, so two sorties are available each turn. Its range reaches just west of Tunis, but not much further.
Equally 8th Army and DAK and lined are up ready to go, but don't enter the game and activate until February 1943, at which point Tripoli automatically becomes Allied controlled. The Africa Korps are already setup on the Mareth Line. Italian 1st Army also arrives in Feb 1943, rocking up at Gabes or Tunis. So this is very much a game of two halves, firstly the Allies clearing the coastal areas west of Tunis, and then the drive from east and west on Tunisia itself.
The Allies land in Oran and Algiers. One of the Vichy units is destroyed, the other retires eastwards with a step loss. I put the British into Oran and US into Algiers to get the air a bit closer to the front. The ground units go in first, then I sea transport the air unit in as it can stack. 9th Army will have to wait for more port capacity.
I am so used to attacking (Axis) player going first, that I played the first few turns the wrong way around! The Axis should have gone first, which of course is why you cant activate 5th Panzer on the first turn. I noticed what I was doing after a bit and had to re-set some things, but you may notice some narrative inconsistencies.
The other thing is that the weather on the Mediterranean boards in winter is bad, really bad, which largely negates the Allied superiority in armour and airpower.
In December, more bad weather. 5th Panzer Army motors west to conduct a delaying action, but the Vichy French are doing an excellent job of holding up the Allies.
9th Army lands in Oran, while 1st Army and the US fruitlessly assault the French in the Algerian mountains. The bad weather grounds the air, increases the MP cost of everything and only allows on attack per turn. What I should have done was send 1st Army back to clear Casablanca to force a French surrender, as at this rate Vichy is going to stop the Allies all on their own.
The French and 5th Panzer pull back a hex in January, and once more the Allies fruitlessly assault the French, just pushing them back one hex.
9th Army rocks up outside Casablanca but cant do much against the defended city in the bad weather.
Conscious that February is rapidly approaching, the French and Panzers pull back a bit more. The Allies are losing faster than the Axis are winning.
I take an executive decision that with Algiers and Oran occupied and Casablanca and Gabes now threatened, the French surrender. I've given myself too much of a task to do, and I don't want to reset the entire game back to the beginning.
That leaves the Allies to attack 5th Panzer directly, as they are on low supply this turn. Despite the weather being 'severe' (the worst possible), they manage to push the Germans back.
In the south, 8th Army now activates and assaults the Mareth Line, but the torrential rainstorms preclude any success and Rommel beats them off. Tripoli is now Allied controlled though, and supplies 8th Army and the Desert Airforce.
In their turn the Germans had to fall back as 1st Allied Army had enough movement to slip around the mountains and encircle them. 5th Panzer falls back to Tunis, while 1st Italian Army moves into the mountains to hold the centre.
As we roll into March, the weather improves slightly and 8th Army attacks Mareth again with air support, but bounces off again. 1st Army attacks 1st Italian Army and the US pursue the Germans taking a long odds shot at Tunis which duly fails. The Italians repel the British too.
The exposed US Army is now 'Kasserined' by Italian 1st Army, the only Axis unit in full supply in April. I would have done it with the Panzers, but they are on low supply. The US are surrounded by ZOC and the Italians throw in their 'tanks' event. Both sides commit their airforces and the US uses its Ultra advantage. The US are very fortunate to defeat the attack, as a loss could have severely weakened or even destroyed the US as it is unable to retreat.
Montgomery finally defeats the DAK, pushing them back to Gabes with loss. As Tom Hanks might say "That guy is overrated".
The Allies now have a strategic choice, relieve 1st US Army or open up the south. Exploiting success 1st British Army moves through the mountains to attack DAK in the rear as it retreats, this also isolates Italian 1st Army.
DAK, surrounded and out of supplies, surrenders. All the Axis can do now is hang on. 9th Army has meanwhile reappeared after a lengthy road march from Casablanca and opens up a supply route to the US Army. I completely forgot about the strategic movement rule which would have moved it rather quicker!
In June the first clear weather of the game opens up the map to mobile warfare, 8th Army storms north supported by the Desert Airforce to attack Tunis and manages to take a step off 5th Panzer Army. The US now join the fight and both sides throw in everything they've got - planes, tanks, special events. I assume the German 'tanks' are the Tiger battalion.
The Germans are weakened, isolated and at reduced strength and finally succumb. Tunis falls.
The Allies now occupy all cities on the map. In July the remaining Italians are on low supply but not completely cut off. Algiers is open to attack, but due to Allied ZOC the Italians would have to detour through the mountains and can't quite retake the city.
As it is impossible for the Axis to win now, I call it there with an Allied victory. Just in time to invade Sicily, but that is a whole other game.
I really enjoyed that, despite making a number of mistakes. It took a while to play so I didn't try it again, but it gave me a good feel for Allied offensive operations. I suspect that is also a good tryout for the Italian campaign, which also features narrow fronts, rugged terrain and dreadful weather in winter. I'd like to try that again but feel I need to move onto Italy as the next logical step. It was good to have the Axis on the defensive for a change, and the game was completely transformed in a couple of turns very late in the day by the sun putting in an appearance. Great stuff.
