First try vs AI on normal

[olivier34]

I have played and enjoyed a lot the first two DC. Before starting a pbem, I decided to have a go vs the AI, playing the german side.
Here is my first report : 4ht of July (End of the german turn 4)

AGN

4th Panzer had complete focus. They were abble to run behind the soviet lines and cut their supply lines. The second goal was to cross the Dvina. TOT div could reach Riga by the end of June but the city was well defended. Instead, the crossing was made by the 36 motorised division at Jakobstadt (June 30), poorly defended by some soviet milicia). The last four days, the Panzer corps did quiet nothing (clear the west of Kakobstadt). The infantry is to far behind...
A lot of soviet units have been destroyed. The 16th army had to clean a large pocket. The work is almost done and the army should reach the Dvina the next week.

[olivier34]

In DC2 (what a great game !), I never had to stop the course of my Panzers because of a lack of fuel...This decision could be taken to make them recover their readyness and their stockpiles, to concentrate before a massive attack.

AGC
The two panzers are out of fuel ! The third panzer had focus on it. The plan was to avoid Grodno, take quickly Vilnius and drive and threat the north of Minsk. Everything went well but this turn they could do nothing because out of fuel [:@]. Question is : "does the AI know that AGC is out of fuel ??[&:]...that would be cheating !)
I used the rest of the fuel to take the south of Minsk with the second panzer.
And then I realise that I could ask my friend Goring for a fuel drop !! [8D]. Cool. There is a card for that ! easy ! and you know what, I received a report that nothing has been done [:@]. This guy hates me !

[olivier34]

AGS
The Lvov pocket is finally close. I don't think that it will be open by a soviet counter attack.
So far the AI attacked three times during the turn 3, allways from inside a pocket.
Odessa was empty !! A major AI error.

[elmo3]

Nice report. Looking forward to hearing more.

[olivier34]

Thanks Elmo3.
I decided before starting the turn 5 to read some of the rules, especially those about fuel...If I understand right, no need to do maths to see if a panzer has enough fuel available to do the job, you just have to check the quotas available:

[olivier34]

Nice surprise ![8D] I could not move the third panzer the last turn because I had O fuel left and now I have plenty !
Is that a bug ?
Here is an interesting graph :

[olivier34]

It's not a bug...just that in this game you have to think a little when you make a decision...I haven't [:D]. I can't remember but I had to make a decision about moving or not the forward supply base of AGC. This report shows that my FSB is at Brest-Litowsk :

[olivier34]

Start of turn 4, here is an interesting report. My FSB is relocating ! Was is the good time to do it ? Who took this decision (right now I don't know myself [8|] but I will found out !)

[olivier34]

My desk is full of reports...I realise that I haven't red carefully most of them... I ask my aide de camp : "Who gave the stupid order to relocate the FSB of AGC from Warsaw to Brest-Litowsk ?"
"Sir, I am sorry but I recall that you did..." and he grab a paper near the garbage...I read it and finally remember. I was tired (real life ! need some vacation [;)]
) and I gave the order...I could have said no, not the good time, but instead I said yes to Gen Wagner. I can't even blame him...

[olivier34]

Time to start the turn 5. I check what the soviet AI did the previous turn (pressing the history button). A few counter attacks, two of them successful, one against the 7th panzer division.
My 7th panzer div, out of fuel because of me (defending at half strengh) suffered a lot.
The AI have left Minsk, weird decision.

[warspite1]

Hi Olivier34.

I like the pictures and text within a picture. Looks really good. How do you achieve this please?

[olivier34]

Hi Warspite,
you mean, the picture of the last post ? I use paintbrush, open a few screenshots and select part of them to copy paste on my main screenshot.

[r6kunz]

Hi Olivier34
Great screen shots and excellent commentary. Not bad tactics, either! Keep posting, I will be anxious to see how your progress compares to history...

[olivier34]

Thanks HPT KUNZ. Not bad tactics, maybe, but I am learning the hard way that you need to watch carefully your truck columns.
I wanted to do the huge Lvov pocket but the price of it may be to costly. I have over stretch my truck columns and I just found out that I have more or less lost a lot of them.
On the screen below, we see that they had to drive 360 kms to reach my First panzer HQ.(and the last 150 on very poor roads). I have ask them to much. This means that I have to choose the best spot for my HQs, not move them without thinking [:-]
I don't know if I can recover from that. I decide to clean the pocket instead of waiting a turn to do so. The 4th army launch a lot of attacks. Lvov is surrounded.
I move the 6th army a little south and then move back my first panzer HQ. I will see the next turn if it helps.

[olivier34]

AGC:
I decide to attack with the panzers. 2nd panzer reach the fortified line defending Mogilev. Some battles have been blowdy. 7th panzer participate but for the next 8 days will be on total refit.
I can alocate tactical support to the 2nd.

[olivier34]

and finally, up north :
The panzers have secure the Dvina crossing. Most of the pocket has been cleared.
I decide to change the posture of the 18A from blietkrieg to sustained offensive. This Army should take the road to Talin the next weeks. We will see if it was right to do so.

[olivier34]

Turn6, 12 JULY
A lot of decisions have been made to save the situation of AGC. It was fun to see Rundstedt relation ship dropping to poor and finally ending to Neutral. Von brauchitsch is kind of upset...
Here are some décisions (a lot of PPs spent [8|])
Even Goring has made possible an air drop of amnunition. [;)]
By the way Lvov has fallen, thousands of soviets are captured. The war should not last more than 2 months [8D]

[olivier34]

Am I too optimistic...in the center, the fortified line is impressive. I should try an attack next turn.

[olivier34]

Some mud force me to cancel the major attacks that I had plan. (anyway FSB were relocating).
Decisions have made AGS truck columns active again [:)] (but with 4 pps left, I had to skip some important decisions the next two turns)

[olivier34]

From the 16th to the 28th a lot has happen.
AGS : Looks fine. I don't see what will stop AGS to take Kiev, the Crimée and even the Caucase in August [8D]