Moscow in a Minute: ToxicThug11 (Axis) vs KB2003 (Soviets) Grand Campaign

[ToxicThug11]

The newly refitted German Heer is prepared not only for thrusts into Grozny and Stalingrad, it is prepared to seize more defensible positions at Ryazan.

Not only will this capture vital makeshift tributary railyards which the Bolsheviks have constructed, it will also destroy a chunk of the Red Army and leave them disbalanced. This minor operation will feed into the grander image as multiple fronts are utterly smashed this turn.

Once the objectives at Voronezh and Ryazan are completed, the routed Soviet Armies will be pursued and destroyed.

Currently, the enemy is dispersed at Yaroslavl, Ryazan, Tambov, Voronezh, Stalingrad and Krasnodar. Additionally they keep a bulk of their reserves at Moscow. With the knowledge that the enemy must defend all these vital sectors, we also know that the enemy is spread thin. Therefore, the operation to seize Ryazan will set the stage for a final victory over the Red Army.

[ToxicThug11]

Once the Ryazan defensive positions are seized, Operation Ostwind may commence.

The destruction of Red Army units, seizure of vital railyards and population centers will contribute to a collapse of the Soviet Union. Tambov, the main goal of this operation, can only be seized after the fall of Fortress Voronezh. Supply in this area will be scarce, so we will rely on speed and audacity to break the Reds.

[ToxicThug11]

Army Group North commander Ferdinand Schoerner has drew up plans for the area. The concentration of Red Army divisions in the center makes any gains around Moscow an expensive, pointless trade.

Therefore, 4th Panzer Army along with powerful infantry elements is to take up positions on the Volga. Previously, 4th Panzer Army retreated to seal the pocket at Kalinin. Now, it is time to think about the strategic implications of threatening to capture Yaroslavl.

A.

The Red Army will be stretched along the Volga River at Yaroslavl, if they even have enough reserves to man this area.

B.

The capture of Yaroslavl will cut the only real dual track supply line to the Soviet Finnish Front.

C.

These positions will provide a springboard for the "encirclement" of Moscow in conjunction with the capture of Ryazan.

[ToxicThug11]

With the conclusion of these operations, the frontline will resemble this. These defensive sectors will deprive the Red Army of any remaining major railyards and make resupplying any offensives extremely difficult for Stalin.

Additionally, with the completion of Level 3 Fortresses on the Moscow front, more infantry are being freed up for further operations on the flanks, while the remainder are set to static to grant us much needed trucks for resupply and refitting our mobile formations.

This is all according to plan. The Red Army has been locked at Moscow, too afraid to move, while we sweep up easy victories in the Caucasus and the Voronezh sector.

Bold (often near suicidal) Panzer maneuvers at Kalinin have made all this possible. The destruction of the Soviet Northern Front in the pocket at Kalinin has given us the initiative on all fronts, with the knowledge that the enemy does not have the men to stop us everywhere.

[ToxicThug11]

The city of Voronezh awakes to the rumbling of 4,000 guns opening fire on the city. The area is combed thoroughly with heavy artillery of all calibers until the city falls silent. Armed resistance is ended in the city when German, Finnish and Italian elements receive the surrender of N. Vatutin, who dies of his wounds.

German soldiers are heard singing "Wenn de soldaten" in the streets of Voronezh as they cheerfully mop up diehard NKVD holdouts with flamethrowers and heavy weapons.


Finally, it seems, the War in the East is coming to a close. With the German advance on Stalingrad well underway and the Caucasus seized, the Red Army faces general collapse.

Stalin sends peace feelers to Germany to negotiate an end to the war, British intelligence services report that grumbling Soviet officials plan to replace Stalin in the coming weeks and force an end to the conflict, no matter the Fuhrer's demands.

German Generals collectively light their cigarettes and prepare for the final victory.

https://youtu.be/CMq7M0OPwrI?t=4 ✠ Wenn Die Soldaten ✠

[ToxicThug11]

With the surrender of Voronezh and the advance on Stalingrad, the Caucasus Front seizes another port and prepares to receive the surrender of Maikop holdouts.

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[ToxicThug11]

Surrenders of isolated Soviet armies at Kalinin and Voronezh are received, resulting in 162,000 captured, 38,000 dead and 13,000 wounded Soviets.

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[ToxicThug11]

Operation Ostwind commences.

Tambov is captured after heavy fighting. The Soviets commit the rest of their tattered reserves into the battle.

Another 200,000 are caught in the Tambov Kessel. The massive Soviet reserves rout units of the 4th Army, and surround two divisions.

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[ToxicThug11]

Finally, Operation Ostwind draws to a close. Around 300,000 Soviets are estimated caught in the pockets. The important railyard of Ryazan lies open for us, with all the strategic implications that come with it.

Moscow, it seems, will be totally surrounded in 1942. Rail connections to other parts of the country will be fraught with difficulty. The Soviet Union now relies on a singular dual track railway to supply many parts of the frontline, an advantage we shall exploit to the fullest.

[ToxicThug11]

Operation Fall Blau continues as we liquidate more pockets in the Caucasus and proceed towards Grozny. The port cities on the coast are falling one by one and our supply is currently superb in this area. We will be home by Christmas.

Our entire effort is poured into repairing the large railyards at Krasnodar, Grozny and Novorossiysk. The fuel producing regions of the Soviet Union will soon be captured as his entire army routs towards the safety of Grozny and the rivers shielding it.

[Zebtucker12]

How is this going?

[ToxicThug11]

How is this going?

The game ended after I captured Ryazan, Grozny, Tambov and Saratov. Very few Soviet forces were remaining on the map. "Axis decisive victory".

[Zebtucker12]

Respect bro

[Chronic]

The game ended after I captured Ryazan, Grozny, Tambov and Saratov. Very few Soviet forces were remaining on the map. "Axis decisive victory".

If I may ask, what would you credit this victory to? Was there any single campaign that broke them? What advice would you give based upon this outcome, and your experience for any aspiring Axis commander?

[ToxicThug11]

The game ended after I captured Ryazan, Grozny, Tambov and Saratov. Very few Soviet forces were remaining on the map. "Axis decisive victory".

If I may ask, what would you credit this victory to? Was there any single campaign that broke them? What advice would you give based upon this outcome, and your experience for any aspiring Axis commander?

To make no unnecessary movements, preserve your trucks and be cautious. At any point this game could've went sour for me if my opponent realised there were large holes in my frontline.