Welcome to part one of War Stories, a weekly roundup of your battles as part of our global WWII campaign, Operation Critical Hit. The battle has well and truly been joined with results flooding in from stores, gaming clubs and home gaming setups worldwide. Let’s recap the story theatre by theatre.

Be On Guard!

Be vigilant, troops! When submitting your reports, make sure the details are one hundred per cent correct before confirming – we’ve noticed some fifth-column activity whereby a game has been indicated as an Axis or Allied win… but intelligence reports show that in fact, it was the opposite result!

Northwest Europe

Europe was also the most popular region in week one, with hundreds of results reported. The Allies secured an early lead, with a particularly strong showing in Bolt Action. The Axis only managed to secure a single hex, but in truth, the map doesn’t quite portray the stoic fight that the Axis put up, they did secure 40% of all Bolt Action victories in the region, for instance.

Despite facing off against multiple air observers, Axis armour was able to quickly neutralise this Allied position in Normandy. Axis win reported by Nmattevi.
Over three consecutive rounds, a German Puma armoured car knocks out an 8th Army Stuart and two Bren Carriers. With such pinpoint precision, the 8th Army was soon routed from the table. Report submitted by KFr.
Despite no aircraft being downed on either side, superior flying from the RAF resulted in a victory for the Allies via accumulated boom chits. Report submitted by BenC8194.

The Pacific

For a while, it really looked like Axis forces were going to run away with the Pacific theatre, with their domination echoing that of the Allies in Europe, particularly in games of Victory at Sea. As the week progressed the Allies managed to claw back a decent showing, and actually scored more victories in both Blood Red Skies and Bolt Action overall, but the Axis were able to hold on to a single land and a single air hex. Control of the seas meant it was an overall victory for the Axis in the region, but will air superiority and an island-hopping campaign put pay to that in the coming weeks?

The very first report submitted for the entire campaign was by Ushistoryprof – A Bolt Action battle set in the Philippines 1941 – IJA vs. a mixed group of US Army, Philippine Scouts, and USMC. The Allied army failed to hold a vital village, resulting in first blood to the Axis.
Despite a rookie US pilot accidentally strafing friendly armour, and an initially insurmountable onslaught from the Japanese, the US Marines held their ground and turned out a victory – submitted by westmounthistoicals.
A mixed Japanese fleet of destroyers, heavy cruisers and a battleship decimates a US Navy fleet – disabling or sinking half of their opponents. Report submitted by Andrewdad10.
US Wildcats managed to outmaneuvre their Japanese ‘Zero’ opponents in this Pacific theatre Blood Red Skies victory for the Allies as reported by coallegiongaming.

The Eastern Front

Axis forces secured an early lead on the Eastern Front, achieving victory across most of the northernmost hexes, including all three of the active Bolt Action hexes for the week, though neither side was able to outmanoeuvre the other at sea, with each securing a single hex.

A plucky Panzer III tanked no fewer than 11 enemy Panzerfaust shots, resulting in a win for the German Wehrmacht. Reported by Diversitas.
Hordes of inexperienced Soviet squads pushed forward against the German Heer units, but effective support from a sniper, a mortar and a flamethrower soon blunted their advance. This Axis win was reported by Eugene Burger.
Despite consisting of more experienced pilots than their Luftwaffe opponents, the judicious use of the Poorly Trained Opponents card prevented this Soviet squadron from attaining victory. Blood Red Skies battle reported by Joy704

The Mediterranean

Though the Allies secured most of the North African hexes as well as the ocean waves, this could have truly gone either way right up to the final moments during Week One, with the hexes in the Northeast largely untouched. If either side attains even a marginal victory over any unsecured hexes in future weeks, this could swing the balance of power massively.

A US force was tasked with taking a coastal town held by an Italian defence force. The Americans suffered heavy losses but succeeded in their objective. Submitted by wazza G.
A small dogfight over the Mediterranean results in a downed RAF airman and an Axis victory. Reported by Sargnagel.

Get Involved

Sadly, we are unable to share all your battle reports and images – there are simply too many! However, you can share your experiences directly on the dedicated Operation Critical Hit Facebook Group, and we’ll continue to show off some of the submissions to the website in these War Stories over the next four weeks.

Week Two is currently in full swing, with (at the time of writing) the Allies continuing to eke out a lead, largely by continuing their domination in Europe. Things are not so clear cut elsewhere, with the Axis putting in another strong showing in the Pacific and the other theatres in the balance. Remember, the way to secure victory is by taking control of the highest number of hexes over land, sea and air. It is not the degree by which a singular hex is won. If you have yet to do so, it’s not too late to get involved and make your impact on the global results.

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Dan can often be found contemplating the mound of unpainted minis building up under his desk. He has a tendency to roll lots of ones. He also has a tendency to complain about rolling lots of ones.

1 comment

  1. What a pleasure to read reports like this!
    Please make several such summaries in the form of an article. At least two a week. Reading this, you feel more involved in the Common Cause, and not just in one of your games with a friend.

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