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 The summer of 43 will end soon enough, and with it the chance for the Allies to defeat the Axis in the Mediterranean this year.  The Allied invasion from the Tyrrhennian has been almost totally repelled. Only Naples remains in enemy hands, and our troops are in fine condition. In Sicily, a large armored force finds itself caught between Scylla and Charybdis. They cannot retreat from the island due to the naval blockade. But such a small force is unlikely to take back the whole island without further reinforcement. Axis Turn 12 : August 23, 1943 Clear (Dry)  We've tried to put a stop to the raids on Messina, but the air is just too thick with Allied fighters. We do manage to knock out half a flight of paratroops who got separated from their escorts. This is actually the AI using air transports to pull a dirty trick on me: an air unit surrounded on three sides can only move one hex.  With a little more pressure, we may be able to break the American force at Naples. The enemy fleets seem to have mostly moved down to Messina, or they have put out to sea to avoid our air attacks. Allied Turn 12 : August 23, 1943  We take heavy losses in the air as one squadron is lost and the second is reduced to half strength. On the ground, the armored units hold position but the infantry continues to take a beating. Axis Turn 13 : August 27, 1943 Clear (Dry)  We cannot allow the Allies to start bombarding our tanks in Sicily. Going back would put them in the sights of the enemy ships, so we push forward and retake San Stefano.  With German assistance, the Italians recapture Naples. Allied Turn 13 : August 27, 1943  We've managed to scrape together a bit of air defense in Messina to surprise the bombers. It's not expected to survive the naval attacks for very long, though.  That does turn out to be the case, but closer to the center of the island, we are in a good position. The Americans nearly destroy themselves trying to charge our armor. Axis Turn 14 : August 31, 1943 Overcast (Dry) The warm Italian sun fades away as the summer nears its end. Things are looking bright for the Axis, however.  The remnants of the failed invasion at Naples are wiped out by our Panzers.  The 'forced' counterattack in Sicily has brought us to the outskirts of Petralia. Allied Turn 14 : August 31, 1943  With Messina bombed out, the enemy ships start moving along the shoreline to look for other targets.  The Sicilian resistance is still hanging on. Reports that we have not abandoned the island have bouyed their spirits. Axis Turn 15 : September 4, 1943 Clear (Dry)  Several new armored vehicles, including the excellent Panther tank, become available in the fourth year of the war.  With ammunition levels running low on Sicily, we do little more than maneuver our tanks around. Allied Turn 15 : September 4, 1943  Apparently we aren't moving enough, as the Allied ships are able to target and destroy two more units. Axis Turn 16 : September 8, 1943 Clear (Dry)  At this point, it seems as if the Americans are having logistical problems of their own. We strike out on the offensive and retake two key positions in Sicily. Allied Turn 16 : September 8, 1943  The Allies put a halt to our assault with their bombers again, but without ground forces, they aren't going to be able to take control of anything. Axis Turn 17 : September 12, 1943 Clear (Dry)  We knock out a few more ground troops and seem to have uncontested control of northern Sicily (discounting the constant air raids). Allied Turn 17 : September 12, 1943  The enemy continues to ensure that we cannot easily reinforce Sicily over the the strait. Axis Turn 18 : September 16, 1943 Clear (Dry)  But we may not even need the support. We can practically retake the island on our own. Allied Turn 18 : September 16, 1943  Aside from a few air raids, the primary Allied effort is to keep Sicily blockaded. Perhaps they are still struggling to move in reinforcement of their own, but this delay is definitely a win for our side. Axis Turn 19 : September 20, 1943 Clear (Dry)  The enemy is decently positioned for defense, but seem to be lacking any sort of armored vehicles; they cannot push out with what they currently have. Allied Turn 19 : September 20, 1943  The continual air attacks are finally taking their toll on our weaker tanks. Axis Turn 20 : September 24, 1943 Clear (Dry)  A joyous meeting occurs at the far end of the island when the German forces encounter those Sicilians who never gave up. Allied Turn 20 : September 24, 1943  We're steadily losing strength, and while it would be a nice outcome, it's doubtful that we can fully claim control of Sicily. Axis Turn 21 : September 28, 1943 Clear (Dry)  We disrupt the Allied lines wherever we can. These forces are in a sort of limbo on the island -- they have not yet lost, but the enemy fleet still holds the strait. Surely more ground troops are coming eventually, but when?  There is actually a faint hope that we can drive off the navy with our own air units. Allied Turn 21 : September 28, 1943  There was a long-running side battle going on to the east, at Taranto. There were never any landings here, so it was a repeated pattern of enemy ships bombarding the shore while the Italian planes tried to force them to withdraw.  The British make one final, stupid, desperate attack from Pachwo.  The Allied invasion of Southern Europe was a debacle. Although it's not really clear who will control Sicily now. Probably neither side. Result: Major Victory Ending Prestige: 311  Well, it does look like What happened there is that the AI bought a whole bunch of units right at the start, but had no good location to place them. Spending prestige earlier is usually a good idea for offensive scenarios, but without any way to move them out, those locations are useless. I feel a lot of maps, this one included, would really be helped by adding just one extra port city. It's unfortunate that what could be an interesting map just isn't one that the computer can deal with.
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| ← # ? Feb 22, 2016 05:38 |
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