Morning Knp.
The Italians had no inclination to fight the British and even less the Americans, when they joined the war.
There was also a massive class divide between Officers and the enlisted man. This made morale very low and did not help create a fighting force. Italians were happy to be left alone.
The Italian army was also a foot one. Hardly any units were motorised and that would prove a problem in the vast expanses of desert and the seesaw nature of the campaign.
The British were lucky when they attacked in Dec of 1940 as they had only had limited objectives. The advance was so uncontested, that they kept going until they had Benghazi and Tobruk.
Being Italian, I love to laugh at my WW2 army’s dismal performances and unwillingness to throw their lives away for someone else’s glory.
When the Italians switched sides, however, things got very bloody as civil war broke out amongst the Fascists and Communists. Many Italians proved they were not afraid of dying once they had a real cause and future in which they believed.
My dad’s dad was in Africa, Russia and later ran and hid from the Fascists in Tuscany.
Retreating question.
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I had a situation in my last game. I think I know the answer, but I wanted to ask just in case I’m wrong.
Japan has taken Celebes and has 1 aircraft carrier with a fighter and tac plus 1 transport in SZ 44. The US attacks this fleet with 1 submarine, 1 cruiser, 1 fighter and 1 tac. In the first round of combat, both sides get 2 hits each. Japan’s 2 hits are both with the aircraft, so with NO DD the US cannot take the sub as a casualty. Therefore, the US is forced to choose between the CA, fighter or tac for it’s two casualties. The US chooses the fighter and tac, leaving them with 1 submarine and 1 cruiser against Japan’s 1 fighter and 1 tac.
QUESTION: Can the US retreat JUST the cruiser and leave the submarine in SZ 44 to destroy the Japanese transport (since the Japanese planes can not hit the submarine). OR, if the US decides to retreat, does the sub have to retreat with the cruiser.
I think the rules say when the attacker retreats, he has to retreat ALL attacking units. If I’m right about this, then in order for the sub to kill the transport, the US would have to sacrifice the cruiser to the Japanese aircraft. Is this right? -
You’re right. Partial retreats are not allowed. The only exception is in amphibious assaults, where air units and land units that arrived by land may retreat, leaving the amphibious units to fight on alone.





