We make our final defensive dispositions in our beachhead and declare war on the Arabs.
IT: Sixteen Arab tanks attack Smolensk, and every one dies, without even a single retreat--because infantry armies now count as fast units, clearly. We're defending with Hussar armies rather than Smolensk's infantry army by the end, though, so it's a good thing the other 22 Arab tanks don't appear.
WN SE --> inf, Neusiedl uni --> artillery.
1695 (6): The Arabs haven't left us many targets, but we bombard and destroy an inf outside Smolensk, and redline a naval task force (three destroyers, one transport) which has carelessly come too close to shore in the same area.
IT: Six Arab bombers hit Smolensk, and sink two (empty) transports. That's a new and unpleasant wrinkle. The Arabs make no ground attacks.
Smolensk and Irdning get their first cultural expansions, giving us some breathing room in the beachhead.
1700 (7): We have enough cash to execute a careful steal while keeping 1000 gold in the bank, and we successfully steal Flight. I switch various towns to airport builds.
We redline another Arab naval task force (four destroyers off Irdning) with shore bombardment.
IT: Three Arab bombers strike Smolensk, doing only meaningless damage to our infantry army. No other attacks.
We complete four airports, including a cash-rushed facility in Smolensk.
Innsbruck CD --> airport, Vienna army --> airport, Ybbs factory --> marketplace.
1705 (8): Oho, the Arabs have landed five tanks and a settler on the southwest coast of France, beyond our city radii. We destroy the whole force for the loss of one Hussar, with a Hussar army doing most of the work.
We conduct our first airlifts, with two inf and a marine flying to Smolensk.
IT: Six Arab bombers strike Smolensk, reducing the population by a point and destroying the barracks. Four tanks then attack Smolensk, and all four die. The Arabs haven't been building tanks recently, and they're down to thirteen.
We complete six airports.
Salzburg CD --> airport.
1710 (9): The Arabs are in anarchy.
We're probably strong enough now to attack out of our beachhead. We first destroy Bukhara's radar tower and the tank defending it, and in the process we generate the GL Quasdanovich, who immediately forms an army. A 22-artillery barrage then redlines Bukhara's garrison of five tanks, four inf, and fortunately no TOW inf. Five Hussar armies destroy the garrison without loss, and the town is ours. The only downside is that we eliminate just one Arab bomber when we enter the city--I'd hoped all six were based there.
IT: The Arabs bomb Bukhara--meaninglessly, as no ground attacks follow.
A redlined Arab destroyer chooses to attack one of our (empty) transports, and dies.
Ghulaman market --> harbour.
We complete our first bomber.
1715 (10): The Arabs are in democracy.
One of our Hussar armies strikes behind Fez and destroys its radar tower, defended by an inf.
A fourteen-gun bombardment redlines the garrison of Fez (four inf and an artillery), and we take the town without loss.
We abandon Bukhara and found Eisenberg next to its ruins.
The cities recently taken by the Arabs from the Russians and the Vikings have minimum cultural boundaries, so now we can run wild. We take Novgorod (garrison of two inf and two artillery), Odense (one TOW and one inf, plus a tank on its radar tower), Yekaterinburg (one TOW and one inf, inf on its radar tower), and Stavanger (one TOW and one inf, tank on its RT), all without loss.
We capture Knights Templar in Novgorod and Shakespeare in Yekaterinburg. We destroy two Arab bombers on the ground and one ship in port.
Austrians 64, enemies 3 this round.
Two elite victories produced one Great Leader.
