Early June 1941: Exporter Gets Underway

Started by MengJiao, January 21, 2021, 10:25:06 AM

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MengJiao


  This is my latest in an uncountable number of attempts at dealing with the Operational (something ) System (OCS)...which is sort of weird because I sort of officially worked on the first DAK before Dean Essig had his accident with the mortar in the early 1990s.

   On the other hand -- its not a particularly good game system for solitaire and it involves moving a lot of supplies around.

   Yet, I do keep trying.  So here is the Imperial invasion of Vichy Lebanon and Syria in OCS form.   The random commando drop (solitaire mechanisms work their deadly magic) did prove dramatic as we will see if this thing holds my interest:


ArizonaTank

I have had many of the games for years, but have only played OCS twice.  So interested to see how this goes for you. OCS is on my list of retirement projects (still many years away I am sorry to say).

Johannes "Honus" Wagner
"The Flying Dutchman"
Shortstop: Pittsburgh Pirates 1900-1917
Rated as the 2nd most valuable player of all time by Bill James.

MengJiao

Quote from: ArizonaTank on January 21, 2021, 12:55:14 PM
I have had many of the games for years, but have only played OCS twice.  So interested to see how this goes for you. OCS is on my list of retirement projects (still many years away I am sorry to say).

  This is a one-map game with small forces.  I think the OCS system has suffered from being overloaded with monster East Front games where the book-keeping must be overwhelming.

  Sort of paradoxically, it might work better for smaller forces where every last bit of captured supplies or requisitioned wagons actually matters.

MengJiao

Quote from: MengJiao on January 21, 2021, 01:28:19 PM
Quote from: ArizonaTank on January 21, 2021, 12:55:14 PM
I have had many of the games for years, but have only played OCS twice.  So interested to see how this goes for you. OCS is on my list of retirement projects (still many years away I am sorry to say).

  This is a one-map game with small forces.  I think the OCS system has suffered from being overloaded with monster East Front games where the book-keeping must be overwhelming.

  Sort of paradoxically, it might work better for smaller forces where every last bit of captured supplies or requisitioned wagons actually matters.

   This is just me, a few days into the war, trying to get the Vichy forces pulled back into Damascus.  I think I'm doing very well and for that matter since I'm also running the Imperial forces, I know they (those Imperial forces) are not likely to risk facing a massive Vichy armored counter-attack with few supplies, fewer troops, inferior airpower and no armor to speak of.  So things probably won't heat up seriously until  the middle of June:


MengJiao

#4
Quote from: MengJiao on January 22, 2021, 10:01:26 AM


   The War Goes on...June 15th...By June 5th all Luftwaffe and Italian planes had left Syria for Crete and Rhodes.  The RAF was poised on Cyprus and moving P-40 Tomahawks s to Jenin (in Northern Palestine, but not too easily observed by Vichy).  In the game it's been a terrible slaughter for the Vichy aircraft (well, I added the effect of the P-40s...which gives historical results).  And this is consistent with what happened historically in this period.  If you take the fighting in Crete and Iraq along with the results of Exporter, Axis+Vichy+Iraqi aircraft loses in the May-July timeframe are around 800 planes.  Imperial and Commonwealth loses in the same period are a lot less -- as low as around 80 even.  You can see that as the beginning of a slow tilt against the Axis in the Med.  You can even see that tilt beginning when two 250 Squadron Tomahawks strafed a mass of mingled Axis transports and bombers at Palmyra on May 14.     

   Anyway, in the game, Imperial forces are building up and as somebody who will be moving Vichy in a bit...I'm getting worried:


MengJiao

Quote from: MengJiao on January 26, 2021, 03:31:42 PM
Quote from: MengJiao on January 22, 2021, 10:01:26 AM


   The War Goes on...

   So, the Empire finally has some firepower and supplies and we're going to take Damascus because the rail line essentially doubles what can be brought up for supplies and the broader front should allow for more attrition which is -- like -- my only real strategy at this point facing the superior Vichy armor and artillery.  Still, things will kick off with bombing and barrages and move on to messy infantry attacks -- which should burn a lot of supply but...might has well start the offensive with a bang!

   Meanwhile as Vichy -- I'm pretty sure the main Imperial thrust will be against Damascus and the delays there might win the scenario if not the war.

   But...back at Imperial HQ, the Imperial commander has said he will "whip Bobby Vuiellianac if it takes all summer."


MengJiao

#6
Quote from: MengJiao on January 29, 2021, 11:26:00 AM

   So, the Empire finally has some firepower and supplies and we're going to take Damascus because the rail line essentially doubles what can be brought up for supplies and the broader front should allow for more attrition which is -- like -- my only real strategy at this point facing the superior Vichy armor and artillery.  Still, things will kick off with bombing and barrages and move on to messy infantry attacks -- which should burn a lot of supply but...might has well start the offensive with a bang!

   Meanwhile as Vichy -- I'm pretty sure the main Imperial thrust will be against Damascus and the delays there might win the scenario if not the war.

   But...back at Imperial HQ, the Imperial commander has said he will "whip Bobby Vuiellianac if it takes all summer."

   It's taking all June at least.  Here and in reality, the Vichy forces won a victory of sorts, though in a twisted way, cuz if they had just caved in then the whole attack on them would have been somewhat de-legitimized.  As it was, the stiff fight they put up more-or-less proved it was a good idea to clear out Vichy forces when you could -- after all, from the Imperial point of view, would you want the Italians, Germans, Roumanians and whoever moving into Lebanon, Syria and Iraq again if you could avoid it? 

   In this case, around June 20, the Vichy forces stopped a thrust led by renegade Circassians in armored cars (yes, the highest quality troops available on that front until the available Australians get acclimated in July) the Circassians are under a DG marker (oops -- that's the motorized Circassian battalion -- I was wondering where they had gone -- disrupted but not forgotten):

   

MengJiao

Quote from: MengJiao on February 02, 2021, 09:54:44 AM

   In this case, around June 20, the Vichy forces stopped a thrust led by renegade Circassians in armored cars (yes, the highest quality troops available on that front until the available Australians get acclimated in July) the Circassians are under a DG marker (oops -- that's the motorized Circassian battalion -- I was wondering where they had gone -- disrupted but not forgotten):
   

   About 3 weeks into the war, the Empire has a lot of supply, a reasonable number of troops and air superiority.  Still going to try for Damascus and that ostentatious chain of battalions is an indication of the route for the main thrust:


MengJiao

#8
Quote from: MengJiao on February 10, 2021, 04:10:07 PM

   About 3 weeks into the war, the Empire has a lot of supply, a reasonable number of troops and air superiority.  Still going to try for Damascus and that ostentatious chain of battalions is an indication of the route for the main thrust:

  Okay.  I'm getting out of Damascus...late and badly maybe, but I did hold it almost a week longer than the historical Vichyites (but maybe they were wiser than me):

   

MengJiao

Quote from: MengJiao on February 12, 2021, 10:01:43 AM

  Okay.  I'm getting out of Damascus...late and badly maybe, but I did hold it almost a week longer than the historical Vichyites (but maybe they were wiser than me):


  Sadly, with some lucky rolls, the Vichyites escaped from Damascus without being cut to pieces as I expected.  So with the Vichyites having held Damascus for an extra week and still having most of their forces, I decided to give them a win.  I'm not quite sure how I managed to lose...I think I was a bit too worried about the counterattacks that I knew the Vichyites were thinking up.