Oak

Kuniworth: He is a highlander.....our own european Braveheart Oak: As I recall, Braveheart died under torture. Is that the fate we can expect for Archibald in this game? Will Archibald be painting his face blue as he sits down to do battle against JerseyJohn?

PS: I wonder how many people on the Forum know the difference between England, Britain and the UK.

Archibald, You showed the Scottish flag, if I am correct. I thought you were English. What part of Britain are you from, exactly? Oak

April 5 Things are really starting to get interesting. Lots of action everywhere. In the west ... Germany moves 3 corps and 1 army to the region around Brest, along with 2 air put near Bordeaux. Air, battleship and carrier attacks kill the corps in Brest. German air intercepts attacks by UK and USA air. American transports swarm around northern France and the Lowlands. Bergen port and city bombed and bombarded. In the Med ... Axis moves 1 German air, 2 Italian air (still at jet tech 0) and Guzzani HQ to Algiers. We believe the Rundstedt HQ is there as well. 2 Italian battleships attack the US battleship (USS Alabama) that has been sinking all those other Italian ships. A UK and USA battleship join the counter-attack, sinking both Italian battleships. Italy's navy now consists of a single battleship. Near Algiers, the Allies have the Alabama (at 1), the Massachusetts (at 9) and the Valiant (also at 9). In the east ... a fresh corps takes over guarding the Iraq border. Although the German tank is still there, its HQ support operated away. The German cruiser and sub sink one Russian cruiser, and the other moves away. The slight damage done to the Russian line is repaired and the line is further reinforced. The Axis continues to have no forces in sight north of the Konigsberg-Minsk line. The Germany rocket division appears near Odessa. Yugo partisans dig in. And, according to reports, either Germany has some transports in the water or it has been building ships.

March 8, 1942 In the east ... German troops pull away from the northern line. There is not an Axis troop to be seen north of the line from Konigsberg to Minsk. One Russia corps was killed and an army severely damaged, but the Russian line holds and is reinforced. On the southern frontier, a 2nd Italian army helps with the attack on the Russian corps guarding the border. On the northern frontier, the Russian fleet finds a German sub and cruiser near Stockholm. German sub now at 6, with 1 Russian cruiser now at 5 and the other at 10. In the west ... Brest is attacked and 2 German armies killed (one in Brest and one next to it). Free French army lands 2 hexes from Brest and finishes off the 2nd army. Bergen port is bombed and the army in Bergen bombarded. In the Med ... the German rocket is moved out of Sicily to parts unknown. Italian air moved from Algiers to Palermo. Malta air is reinforced. Italian sub is attacked by Gibraltar air and then by the US battleship that killed the cruiser. The sub is killed with no damage to Allied forces. Partisans appear in Yugoslavia and head for the hills. UK air now at level 2.

January 11 This turn saw lots of bad news for the Axis navy. A sub and cruiser kills with little damage to the Allied fleet. In the east ... it should be pointed out that the Russian armies being killed so far by the Axis are border armies that were cut off in the initial attack. So far, no penetration of the Russian line. A German tank with Rundstedt HQ support found trying to get into southern Russia through Iraq and stopped ... for now. In the Med ... Malta air attacks rocket in Sicily. Gibraltar air attacks sub with Italian air intercepting. Italian sub & air take hits but no damage to US air in Gibraltar. US battleship moves into Gibraltar port and attacks Italian cruiser (strength 6) next to Gibraltar. Cruiser is destroyed; US battleship knocked down from 11 to 10. In the north ... with all the German air in the east the Allies forces have a field day. German army in Bergen bombarded by Free French cruiser while Bergen port is bombed. German army is Brest is attacked by air, 2 carriers & 3 UK battleships. The army holds out well and still at strength 5. A German sub is found by surprise in Brest port (knocking the cruiser Hood down by 5). The sub is quickly killed by a carrier and UK battleship.

German air now at level 2 ... just in time for Barbarossa. In the east ... USSR troops pull back and try to form a defensive line. In the Med ... Gibralter air attacks Italian sub (with interception from Italian air). Malta air reinforced. In the north ... Bergen bombed.

I should add a few of points: - The Italian navy is no longer bombarding Malta. Too costly. Now, it is just that German rocket in Sicily that is attacking Malta. It manages to knock 1 off the air in Malta every 2-3 turns. - Italy is making a point of having any ships within striking range of Gibralter or Malta stay in port. - The Fiume cruiser was in the Palermo port, but moved out to allow the transport that was hit by the Malta air last turn to unload in Palermo. Seeing the opportunity to strike an Italian ship out of port, the Malta air struck.

November 2 UK air in Gibralter operates out; US air operates in. Malta air attacks Italian Fiume cruiser. USSR prepares for war. More Yugoslavian partisans appear to harass the Axis.

October 5 Things are quiet in the north. Is it the calm before the storm? The Allies are still waiting for subs to pour into the Atlantic or transports to swarm around England. In the south, the UK air in Gibralter attacks the Italian sub (now in Algiers port) with Italian air intercepting. The only damage from the attack is to the intercepting Italian air. An Italian transport moved next to Malta (does the Axis think it is about to be vacated??) and is then attacked by the Free French air in Malta. The transport is knocked down to 5.

September 7 Gibralter air attacks Italian sub, with attack intercepted by Italian air in Algiers. Italian sub and air take hits, but not the UK air. Malta air reinforced. No other attacks by the Allies.

August 31 The German air in Algiers move to parts unknown (we suspect Norway so bombing/bombardment is halted) and the Italian air moves to Algiers. The Malta air attacks the German rocket division in Sicily; the Gibralter air attacks the Italian sub (attack intercepted by Italian air). As noted above, no attacks on Bergen this turn. One Yugo partisan continues to head north while the other heads south. Axis troops starting to move towards them. USA prepares for war. The UK will soon be joined by American reinforcements. One other significant difference between this game and the previous one is that the UK navy will be largely intact when the USA/USSR enter. The only loss so far was the cruiser in the Med. In contrast, the Italian navy has been heavily mauled by Allied air, although none of its fleet has been killed ... yet. The addition of the 2 US battleships should ensure continued control of the Atlantic by the Allies.

August 10 UK air recently moved to Gibralter attacks the Italian sub guarding the entrance to the westen Med. Attack intercepted by German air in Algiers. Malta reinforced. I'm surprised that the attack continues given the losses that the Italians are taking with each attack. Bergen port bombed; German army in Bergen bombarded by UK battleship and attacked by carrier. Yugo partisans go on a recon expedition to the north and find nothing. New partison corp formed to take their previous position.

July 27 Malta reinforced. Bergen port attacked by UK air and bomber, and knocked from 8 to 0. No interceptions by German air. German army in Bergen bombarded by UK battleship, but to no effect. No other Allied attacks. Things are fairly quiet.

July 18 The Italian cruiser bombards Malta and then the rest of the attacking units move away. Could the Axis be giving up on the attack on Malta?? No attacks by the Allies this move.

June 29 Malta is reinforced. The decision is made to abandon Bergen when a German corps transport arrives near Bergen to join the fight. No Allied attacks on Antwerp or Brest.

Yugoslavia is down to a single corps in Belgrade. Things look bleak for the Yugo freedom fighters. Malta continues to be attacked, dishing out casualties and taking very little itself. Malta is reinforced. So is Bergen. No attacks by the Allies on either Antwerp or Brest this turn.

May 25 Free French armed moved into the vacant Bergen to replace the UK corps that was killed. Malta reinforced. Antwerp bombed (with escort & interception). Brest attacked (with no interception). Axis seems to be sending all its troops from Algiers towards the eastern Med. Looks like Greece will soon be attacked. 2 Yugo corps make a dash (one west and the other north) only to be surpised with heavy casualties. Bulgaria joins the Axis.

Sorry, I don't my directions. The German transports in the Med were heading EAST, not west.

Axis removes Rommel HQ out of Sicily and builds an Italian air fleet. German transports spotted heading west in the Med. Italian fleet is taking less of a hit in their bombardment of Malta, but the Italian fleet is now all down to strength of 5-7. Antwerp bombed and taken down to zero. German air intercepts; UK air escorts. Army in Brest attacked by air, 3 carriers and a battleship. Knocked down to 6. No interceptions in attack on Brest.

A quiet turn. No attacks by the Allies. UK battleships pull away from Brest. Malta reinforced, having given better than it took last turn.

Bergen and Malta reinforced. Antwerp bombed with air escort. Vichy French fleet attack Rommel HQ, knocking him down to 8. Brest attacked by air, 3 carriers and 2 battleships. The German army in Brest knocked down to strength 2.

From their observation post in Malta, the Allies are able to watch the Axis prepare for an amphibious attack on Algiers. The Italian navy is taking a beating in their bombardment of Malta. 2 Italian BBs are each knocked down a point, while the air in Malta is knocked down only 1 (and then reinforced). Again, the Allies bomb Antwerp while also attacking Brest with air and carriers. The raid on Antwerp is intercepted (and then escorted by UK air), while the attack on Brest is not intercepted. Bergen is reinforced, but the Axis are likely to take it soon. German air is now at level 1. Romania has joined the Axis.

Egypt has been lost. Bergen reinforced. Antwerp bombed with air escort against German interception (UK air at level 1; German air at level 0). German army in Brest attacked by UK air and 2 carriers. No interceptions. Where is the 4th German air??

October 27 The UK bomber, now in England, strikes Antwerp. Little damage caused. Bergen is reinforced. No air attacks on Bergen, but more are expected. The remaining UK corps in Egypt moves into the vacant Alexandria. The Allies will probably lose Egypt next turn. The Axis begins their assault on Malta, garrisoned by the Free French air. The Vittorio Veneto battleship, having recovered from being bombed almost out of existence, is knocked down to 7 in its attack on Malta (no damage to the air in Malta). The Rommel HQ, a German air fleet and a rocket division is spotted in Sicily.