What is the Malta Effect?

[Edwin P.]

The SC2 page mentions the Malta Effect. What is this?

[Wolfpack]

My guess would be a hit on unit readiness for Axis units in Africa so long as Malta is occupied by air units. Wouldn't make much sense to have it be affected by a ground unit, but air units would be (and did) interdict a lot of Axis supplies moving that way. Something like that would make taking Malta a pretty important strategy, just as it was in the war.

[Desert Dave]

As originally posted by Wolfpack:

My guess would be a hit on unit readiness for Axis units in Africa so long as Malta is occupied by air units.

Good guess, and very nearly right. :cool:

Stationing an air unit, either Air Fleet or Strat Bomber in Malta does have a unique and quite historical "effect."

It reduces the size of Italian resources in North Afrika, IE, the cities and ports.

Which in turn has an effect on both Op moves across the desert and across the Seas.

Also on supply and thus, indirectly but consequently, on the readiness of the units located there.

The larger the Air Squadron, the greater chance the "Malta Effect" will be enacted.

If the AF or SB performs a mission or reacts in combat... OR

If the AF or SB is reinforced or replaced in that turn, THEN

This portion of the "Malta Effect" is reduced accordingly.

The other part of the effect is to assume a "base chance" of 10% each turn that those Italian resources will be reduced.

This represents submarine and other activities of "patrolling type" craft in and around the supply lanes from Italian mainland across to North Afrika.

So,

You have 10% for the base chance + 1% per EACH Air factor based at Malta, provided it is not otherwise engaged in some activity.

Which might include deliberate sorties by the Axis player to keep that Air unit "busy" so that it couldn't add to the percentage chance of interdiction.

And yes, Wolfpack, you are right on the money... controlling Malta did indeed cause all sorts of trouble for Italy/Axis in the Med Wars.

It may prove to be well worth considering a possible sea invasion and/or airborne assault so to remove this stubborn, fortified threat to fragile supply lines.

I suppose someone could station a ground unit on Malta, and you'd still get that base chance of 10%, but, given this new feature of... a better chance of interdiction by adding that valuable air unit... would you?

[ April 20, 2004, 12:49 AM: Message edited by: Desert Dave ]

[Exel]

If the Malta effect requires and air unit to be based there, doesn't it make the island pretty vulnerable with the new invasion system? An air unit can't hold against an amphibious invasion on its own, nor are the fortifications any good if you don't have ground troops present. Unless, of course, you can base both air and land unit on the isle, but I doubt that.

[KDG]

If the Malta effect requires and air unit to be based there, doesn't it make the island pretty vulnerable with the new invasion system? An air unit can't hold against an amphibious invasion on its own, nor are the fortifications any good if you don't have ground troops present. Unless, of course, you can base both air and land unit on the isle, but I doubt that.

The new amphibious system allows you to invade on the same turn that you transport, but it won't allow you to land on squares that have units on them; which in this case means a ground unit can't land in Malta as long as a Jet(or any other unit) is stationed there since Malta is only 1 square.

[Blashy]

Originally posted by Exel:

If the Malta effect requires and air unit to be based there, doesn't it make the island pretty vulnerable with the new invasion system? An air unit can't hold against an amphibious invasion on its own, nor are the fortifications any good if you don't have ground troops present. Unless, of course, you can base both air and land unit on the isle, but I doubt that.

Touché!

[Desert Dave]

As originally posted by Exel:

If the Malta effect requires and air unit to be based there

Sorry if my original explanation was vague or unclear.

Even if you ONLY stationed a ground unit on Malta, you would still get that 10 % base chance for reducing the efficiency of Italian resources in Libya.

This is posited as British submarine activity, interdiction by small patrolling craft which would include some destroyers, and also a (... less than full fleet) squadron of torpedo planes.

As with much else in a "Grand Strategic" game, some tactical things are presumed and imagined, such as Artillery attachments to Infantry units.

If the Afrika Korps is achieving certain success and bearing down on Alexandria, as Rommel was able to do historically, THEN you might want to switch to an Air Fleet instead of your ground unit.

That way, the percentage chance of successfully interdicting would go UP... 1% for each AF factor that isn't otherwise engaged that turn.

And, if that is a veteran Battle of Britain Spitfire group, then it may be quite experienced, say level 14.

Then you would have: Base 10% no matter what unit is in Malta + 14% for the AF = 24% random CHANCE that the "Malta Effect" will come into play.

[Edwin P.]

Question: Will the "Malta Effect" affect Allied forces in Italy if Malta is controlled by the Axis?

[With Clusters]

I would think Axis control of Malta would only effect Allied units in Sicily and Italy.

[Edwin P.]

Question: Will the "Malta Effect" work against Allied forces in Sicily if Malta is controlled by the Axis?

[Hubert Cater]

Officially this is still undecided, but if a script were created to this effect, then yes.

[V]

Am I correct in understanding this, the Axis cannot invade Malta if there is any sort of Allied unit stationed there?

[Hubert Cater]

You would have to destroy that unit first

[V]

Originally posted by Hubert Cater:

You would have to destroy that unit first

OK, could you destroy it with the invading unit or do you have to destroy it with air units or am I totally off on this?

[Hubert Cater]

As it stands right now, air or naval bombardment... same as in SC1.

[JerseyJohn]

The most intense air battling of the war took place over Malta.

Yet, it's greatest importance was as a British submarine base!

The Axis forces allotted to take the place in 1942 weren't very large, primarily a German parachute brigade (the 50th I believe) and an Italian parachute regiment. Additional ground forces, conventional infantry, would have been brought in after the airfields and port had been taken. Kesselring pounded the place to rubble and at that exact moment Rommel took Tobruck and talked Hitler into cancelling the operation and sending those units to North Africa instead. This was a fatal decision in the Mediteranean.

Even so, by mid-August 1942 the place was running so short of supplies and under so much Axis pressure that a major naval operation was required, Operation Pedestal, in order to keep it from going under through lack of provisions!

Here's a link on the operation and the difficulties Britain had keeping Malta viable. Too often it's represented as something that was virtually self-sustaining, it wasn't.

< Operation Pedestal >

I hope there'll be some consideration in SC2 to wearing the place down and depriving the garrison of vital supplies prior to launching an attack on it.

[Edwin P.]

Interesting, perspective.

I hope there'll be some consideration in SC2 to wearing the place down and depriving the garrison of vital supplies prior to launching an attack on it.

Perhaps a reason to reduce the value of the port to zero? Port = Zero = Readiness or Max Strength of Unit in Isolated Port Only Tile Declines; ie Malta, Gibraltar and Gibraltar while Spain is Neutral or Axis Aligned.

[JerseyJohn]

Edwin,

Yes, I think that's exactly the idea.

Some method where the Axis can effectively reduce Allied support of the island -- perhaps a general Malta Besieged Rule that can be adapted in the scenario creator as well to recreate similar situations.

I think this can be simulated two ways, either through a massive buildup of air units in the island fortress's vicinity (historically, Kesselring sent a Luftflotte to Sicily) or through a massive naval / submarine blocade, or a combination of both.

While this would never lead to the garrison's surrender (it would have to assumed they wouldn't starve) it would greatly diminish their ability to beat off attackers.

[Exel]

I would still like to see Malta to be conquerable by an amphibious invasion. This would of course require special amphibious invasion rules, since the battle would have to be resolved in one turn. But I don't think that would be overly complicated if done properly. It would then also require limited stacking, because you would want to use a place like Malta as an air base but you should also be able to defend it with a ground unit. But again I think that its positive aspects far outweight the negative effects.

I say this because it is very hard to destroy a fortified land unit with even combined air and naval power - in SC clearing Malta often required the deployment of almost all of the Axis Mediterranean fleet or alternatively several air fleets. And I'd prefer air and naval units not being able to completely destroy land units anyway - they should only be able to damage them to a certain limit.

[Retributar]

Great analysis and discussion by all on this topic. Very interesting reading!. Great Web-Site 'Jersey John'...i read all i could there!.

I vaugely remember watching an old-war-movie dealing with the information illustrated...just like at the web-site refered to by J.J. ...as a child...have never seen it again since!.

[JerseyJohn]

Glad you enjoyed it, Retributar.

-- Interesting remark about that old documentary. The History Channel was showing some good ones for a while but now they seem more interested in the history of plumbimg.

It may be part of a DVD package.