Carnage al Dente
Chapter XXIX - A New Front
Players: USA, UK, CAN, SOV, GER, JAP, ITA(spec)
Our rookie player have switched from Greece to Canada while von Rosen (Axis) could not take part. Even though we originally have a House Rule against more then 2 exp forces we realized we either changed that or could not play due to massive burden on GER player (Daphne). Allied team agreed Italy (me) could take over the German East Front (but not the west). This means you will get som more East Front action in this and coming chapter.
Recap: While Germany is under immense pressure on the East Front where they have thinned out their forces significantly, they have manage to get the Allies out of ballance in the west. It is vital for the Axis that the Allies can be dealt a heavy blow so Axis once again can get some time and spare troops to drive at the Victory Conditions. But the Allies and Commies knows this...
July 17th, 1942
Although under immense pressure, the Americans managed to keep their forces together and fend off the German onslaught fairly well. Apparently, they have allowed themselves to leave the border against Italy too weak. The Italian bombers could continue to drop their payloads at their leisure and the Italian troops could attack with superiority in numbers, made even deadlier with the aid of German expeditionary panzer divisions (those two our HR allows us to lend). The biggest worry for the Italian veteran leadership was not leaving the back to weak – should the Allies try something funny.
The Americans to quite awesome casualties on the Italian sector – both from bombs and from fighting.
August 1st, 1942
It was strange. Just as the Axis started to lose hope about actually driving the Americans out in the sea, the gusto seemed to go out of them and they fell back faster than they were really forced to. Only one American division, together with some Greek Infantrymen, were caught the pocket, but it was still welcomed news.
The Axis was not sure if this was the beginning on an orderly retreat out of France or just a tactical retreat to prepare a better defense.
August 3rd, 1942
The Brits still held their sector and had not lost ground. They had not won any ground either. Now, with the Americans faltering their southern flank was weakened, only defended by French militias and Spaniards who were no match for the might of the Wehrmacht. Still, the Germans had not very much to throw in here. Never the less, the provinces of St Aubin and Angerville, who had changed hands so many times and seen so much terror, had to prepare for the worst once again.
August 7th, 1942
The Americans DID flee out of France. The Germans claimed to have crushed three American divisions. The Italians could not boast anything as grandiose although a situation outside Marseille had potentials as two American and one Greek division were about to be intercepted in Marignane. Doe to chaos in the internal communication, there is no report on the outcome.
Authors note: My attention was locked elsewhere and I did not see how this turned out. If Maxyboy can be so kind and enlighten me I would be happy.
August 10th, 1942
With the American gone, the Brits did not want to stay put, and like so many times before, they quickly pulled out. The Germans, used to British blitzes and tricks, did not seem very eager to follow suit and was quite happy to just let them go. At least Paris was safely surrounded…
August 10th, 1942
Two British divisions and a bunch of Greeks were caught here and would eventually surrender. With this, the forth Allied attack of France was over. They left a smoldering ruin. This time, Paris had been destroyed as well after several long and bloody battles. The forth had been the hardest and the German defenders had buckled under the onslaught but finally come through.
The western Axis could take a deep breath. The Americans had been in bad shape and were in need of some rest. The Brits could probably redeploy very quickly. It was a matter of a week or so before they could strike anywhere in Europe. Italy or through the Black Sea were hot candidates. They could of course sail of to Persia too to try and annihilate the Japanese army there. It is for the future to tell. The Axis could at least celebrate this victory.
And now they only lacked 1 single VC (Beograd)
As the Italian leadership knew their country could be next, a majority of its forces were immediately redeployed from Vichy France to the Italian boot.
August 12th, 1942
The Wehrmacht had been pushed back in the east for several months. As Italy took charge of the front they quickly realized how critical the situation was. Hoping to make a difference, they concentrated some troops in the south, just north of Azov Sea, and made a push.
August 17th, 1942
During a 10-day dash, where the Red Army stumbled backwards, at least three Soviet divisions were destroyed – of which at least one was a light armor division.
As the situation on other parts of the front was bad, the East Front buckling on many places, these units pulled back to a better defensive line and some of the panzers were redeployed northwards.
August 18th, 1942
The Red Army had closed in on Archangelsk and they massed their forces to take it back. The German defenders were terrible outnumbered but well dug in as they were, they gave a fierce defense. The Germans counter attacked south of the city and after two weeks of battles, the Soviet position got dangerous. As Novodvinsk came under German attack, the Red Army had to cancel the attack on Archangelsk – for this time. The Soviet presence was strong, however, and new attacks were expected.
August 19th, 1942
Soviet forces had struggled to close in on Moscow as well. For weeks the battles had been hard around the hills in Shchelkovo but the German forces held firm. Later, when a strong Soviet wedge had pierced through south of Moscow, the German forces retreated from Shchelkovo to avoid getting cut off and to stop Moscow to be surrounded.
When the Russian push to surround Moscow failed, they attacked the great city head on. The Germans awaited them, well dug in among the houses, covered by the river on several sides. But the Red Army had the numbers. This was the start of a gruesome and bitter battle.
Authors note: As you can see. Two Axis VCs (Archangelsk and Moscow) is under heavy pressure….
August 21st, 1942
The Regia Aeronautica was patrolling the Italian coast. So was the last Italian sub in the Med. It was this submarine who spotted the British transport fleet. As the Italian leadership got to hear about this, they alerted the other Axis and started to scout further out from the coast to determine the direction of the Brits.
It did not take them long to realize that Italy itself was the target and the Italians immediately tried to form up. All their troops were in Italy but the focus on the East had caused them to be in somewhat chaos after the redeployment from Vichy. And they did not know exactly where the Allies would strike.
August 27th, 1942
When the Italians had drawn so much of the forces north, gaps had opened in their defense. All those forces fighting in Vichy had been pulled back, but due to attention to the eastern front, they had not been placed with great care, and the majority of them were positioned around Rome. The Brits managed to find one province in the east of Italy, and one in the west, almost facing each other, without defenders. Due to this, they managed to cut Italy in half rather quickly. It was quite annoying for Il Duce who been so careful for years with the defense of Italy.
Authors note: Some of these battles were only due to the Brits managed to reach provinces I was heading for before me, and thus the battles were quickly cancelled. Some I kept in order to lock him in battle – but will heavy casualties on my side.
September 2nd, 1942
Almost a week into the battle and the Brits have secured their foothold and gained a harbor, albeit a small one. Even though they push the weak Italian forces in the south back, the British forces is not strong enough to pose a threat against the Italian forces massing from the north. On the other hand, this is obviously not all the British forces and none of the Americans have yet entered any theatre.
Knowing the British tactics, it is likely they wish to annihilate the Italian forces in the south. It will be difficult to stop that from happening, but the longer they last, the longer time the northern forces have to gather – and maybe even start an attack. German reinforcements have been called for, but are still some distance away.
September 3rd, 1942
And so the Americans showed up. Regia Aeronautica spotted the Transport Task Force and attacked it two times without seeing any hostile plane. The Anti Air coming up from the ships were next to none and the naval bombers managed quite a few hits even though none of the flotillas is believed to have been sunk. There are some unclearities concerning the “Uruguay Flotilla” though. In any case, several of the ships needed some thorough repairs.
September 8th, 1942
With the Americans joining in the fray, things looked worse and worse for the Italians in the south. More and more Italian forces had gathered in the North and they were hoping to be able to reach the surrounded units, but the hope was fairly low.
September 15th, 1942
Eventually, the Italian attacks southwards were too weak to reach all the way to the trapped units in the south. All those troops were either killed or captured. It was truly dark days. The only good thing was that Italy had had plenty of time to reinforce the north. Due to some operational mistakes, the German reinforcements had been very slow to arrive and had not yet reached the front.
Authors note: Half of the captured division had only 2 brigades so it is not as bad as it looks… but bad enough.
September 26th, 1942
With the Italian pocked in the south crushed, the Allies could concentrate their forces against the northern front. Some German panzer divisions had arrived as well and several massive battles followed were each side tried to wrestle for the initiative. Casualties piled high on both sides and this part of the Italian countryside was devastated. During early October, Melfi was lost to the Allies, but some of their northern conquests in the east were retaken by the Axis. Then, activities in the entire sector died of as the divisions were more or less exhausted and neither side felt they could win a new push.
Late September, 1942
Although Allies seem to have no troops in western France and Vichy, Germany have been reluctant to take the land back, in spite of Italian suggestions, fearing an Allied trap. In the east, little has happened since German forces pulled back from their small late summer offensive north of the Azov Sea. The Red Army has retaken most of the land won, with very few battles occurring. The pressure from the Red Army is slow but steady.
September 28th, 1942
Between Moscow and Archangelsk, neither side had a great many troops. Still, the Red Army had more and could, although slowly, push the Wehrmacht back. They had to be careful, though, as the Wehrmacht was dangerous every time the Red Army ventured a little too far a little too quick. Here, west of Vologda, the Soviets lost an infantry division.
September 29th, 1942
Archangelsk and Moscow have been lost to Soviet. They had to fight hard to get it and although many Germans died in the process, no unit was trapped and they all retreated in good order. Still, this was hard times for the German forces (under Italian leadership) on the east front.
But the Italian leadership had a plan. Some new units deployed to Romania were given new orders while the Italian leadership had weakened some parts of the front slightly to strengthen another part. In time, it was hoped that the Soviets would be taught a lesson in attrition warfare…
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