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 The drive toward the Middle East continues! After a month of fighting, we've taken control of Palestine and more or less knocked the British out of the Eastern Mediterranean. Now we are looking to move onward.  The Germans are just about to wrap things up an Syria, and from there it's a straight shot east to Baghdad. Travel will be mostly along the roads, and since some units will be detached toward Anah, and some left to guard against British attacks from Transjordan, the traffic james should not crop up. The Italians will have the whole month to take care of Lebanon, and with their air force and navy to help, it ought to be no trouble. At this point we've eliminated all Allied air units, but may still have to deal with British flak guns, and it's going to be a bit tough to send air raids toward Iraq until we can capture an airfield out there. Axis Turn 11: October 1, 1941 Clear(dry)  We need to get some troops moving on the road toward Iraq. About half the force moves around Damascus.  A fair number of British forces remain in the Transjordan area, but we can pretty easily ignore them as long as we keep an eye on their movements. Allied Turn 11: October 1, 1941  A few tank attacks occur at Damascus and in Lebanon, but they are pretty ineffective. Axis Turn 12: October 4, 1941 Clear(dry)  We continue to push past Damascus, but are having trouble keeping our vehicles fueled. Recon planes get a glimpse of the defenders of Anah.  We do make an attempt to assault Damascus itself, but it ends in failure. Allied Turn 12: October 4, 1941  Fighting in Damascus continues to go poorly for our side. Axis Turn 13: October 7, 1941 Clear(dry)  With a concerted series of attacks all around the city, we finally take control of Damascus.  The Italians have been fighting for days, but the British seem to bring in fresh troops almost as soon as they are lost. An Italian tank is added to their force to change the balance of forces. Allied Turn 13: October 7, 1941  Italian soldiers can only hope their tanks get to the front line soon. They take losses as the British tanks keep coming. Axis Turn 14: October 10, 1941 Clear(dry)  We get a good look of the British defenses along the Euphrates. We can start fighting at Anah, but the troops are still slowed by fuel troubles.  The Italians build up their line at Bierut. Allied Turn 14: October 10, 1940  The Italian infantry takes heavy losses but their tanks anchor the line, and they hold position. Axis Turn 15: October 13, 1941 Clear(dry)  Air defenses at Anah are relatively weak, and we precede our attack with a series of intense bombing raids.  The Italians are barely hanging on to their position on the coast at Bierut. Their navy is helping them out by suppressing the enemy guns. Allied Turn 15: October 13, 1941  The British tanks make another strike at the Italians, but then inexplicably withdraw. Perhaps they too are running out of fight.  At Anah, the British infantry that was on the road tries to retreat toward the town. Axis Turn 16: October 16, 1941 Clear(dry)  Air raids help to break enemy resistance at An Nabk and also down on the coast.  We get into a good position at Anah, and also clear the road so that our rear troops can move eastward. Allied Turn 16: October 16, 1941  The British are no longer making attacks at Bierut, but they still bring in the Matildas for defending. Axis Turn 17: October 19, 1941 Clear (Dry)  We make a paradrop to that we'll have an airfield in southern Iraq from which we can bomb Baghdad. For now, the region appears undefended.  An intense tank attack cracks the front line at Anah. Once we bring in some infantry we should capture the city easily.  The first Italian assault on Bierut is repulsed. Allied Turn 17: October 19, 1941  Scouts spot increased activity back in Transjordan. So far there are no units that appear suited for attacking, however.  The British hit the Italian flank, but do not push very hard on it. Axis Turn 18: October 22, 1941 Clear (Dry)  After pushing back the defenders, we capture Anah. The AT guns at Hit continue to block our path.  The Italian navy shells Bierut all day, and the city is nearly reduced to rubble. Allied Turn 18: October 22, 1941  The British AT guns are unable to do much. They prepare for their own destruction. Axis Turn 19: October 25, 1941 Clear (Dry)  Down at Al Hillah, the paratroops seize the airfield. We clear the enemy forces west of the Euphrates, but will need more time to get troops across it.  Bierut is captured, and the Italians move their forces in. Their hold on the city is not particularly strong, but with luck they can hold off the Matildas. Allied Turn 19: October 25, 1941  The British send an armored car to block the bridge. Axis Turn 20: October 28, 1941 Clear (Dry)  We destroy the armored cars and take control of the bridges. Baghdad is looking like a tough city to take, and from the north there is a large group of tanks headed south. Allied Turn 20: October 28, 1941  The FW190 ends up getting shot down by Baghdad's air defenses. Axis Turn 21: October 31, 1941 Clear (Dry)  In heavy fighting we gain control over the airfield. While most of the British tanks are the mobile roadblocks that are Matilda I's, there is one decent model: an M3 'Stuart', the British version of an American tank. We add another Panzer III to our forces.  A Matilda is spotted moving north of Amman. Our Panzer II ought to be able to hold it unless a lot more come with it. Allied Turn 21: October 31, 1941  The M3 hits a unit of Panzer IV's and forces it down into the muddy ground at the river. When they bog down, the Matildas are able to finish them off. Axis Turn 22: November 3, 1941 Clear (Dry)  Our more heavily-gunned Panzer III's come in and destroy one unit of Matildas, plus the M3.  This lets some of our units make their way to Baghdad. As they rush to attack, the British stop them cold. Allied Turn 22: November 3, 1941  More tanks are spotted on the move near Jerusalem. It appears the British may be trying something.  The march of the Matildas continues, but they are too weak offensively to seriously disrupt our advance. Axis Turn 23: November 6, 1941 Clear (Dry)  The meager defenses along the Tigris collapse quickly at Baghdad, but we'll need to get troops across the river if we really want to assault the city proper.  The Matildas can still take a long time for our even our good Panzers to wear down.  Our scout car tries to cut enemy supply lines, but the flood of tanks continues.  Back on the Mediterranean coast, the Italians clear out a bit of space and capture an airfield.  The British have committed wholeheartedly to the Matilda flood strategy. Allied Turn 23: November 6, 1941  The Matildas chip away at our scout car in the north and infantry in the south.  The Panzer II has a tough time of it in Transjordan. Axis Turn 24: November 9, 1941 Clear (Dry)  Baghdad loses a few more units. We do get a few units over the river, and with luck we might be able to take it. Constant air raids continue, but we miss the Ju88. Thankfully, the Italians sent the P108 - an excellent strategic bomber - to assist.  The Italians clear out Lebanon, and are able to shift a few units towards the defense of Jerusalem. Allied Turn 24: November 9, 1941  One Matilda manages to score some very lucky hits on the scout cars. They survive, but will definitely not be able to cut off the enemy supply lines. Axis Turn 25: November 12, 1941 Clear (Dry)  The last of the guns is destroyed at Baghdad. Allied Turn 25: November 12, 1941  One attack is made out of Baghdad against our troops massing along the riverside.  The push out of Amman seems to have lost whatever momentum it had. Axis Turn 26: November 15, 1941 ** LAST TURN ** Clear (Dry)  Finally, concentrated bombing raids and shelling reduces the defenders of Baghdad to a mere token force.  Losses were heavy getting there, but we did finally make it, and managed to even out the lines to stop the onslaught of British armor. This is what often happens early in the war, and if we'd gone for Sealion, Matilda spam would be the order of the day. About the only way to avoid is to rush the objectives from just beyond view, or attempt to reduce the AI's prestige by strategic bombing. Matildas are really cheap walls, though, so it's hard to stop it from buying at least a few. Result: Minor Victory Ending Prestige: 1390 
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