Blubel vs TheDoctorKing - To the Ural Mountains or Berlin?

[Blubel2]

My first long game after quite some time. The game is going since May and lots of fun. The Doctor is welcome as the AAR will follow the game with quite a delay.
Random weather, light blizzard, Soviet +1 attack.

[Blubel2]

Turn 1 North

Fairly standard opening in the north with one mot. corps taking Riga and Manstein going for the Daugavpils bridges.

[Blubel2]

Center

The same is true for Army Group Center. Brest Litovsk is taken after heavy fighting. The 22nd Tank division routs, but is cut off, too.

[Blubel2]

South

Meanwhile Army Group South surrounds much of the Soviet fighting strength in the Lwow pocket. Another secure pocket is formed around Kovel. Rovel is taken by an mot. Corps loaned from Army Group Center, but the units west of Rovel aren't pocketed.

[Blubel2]

Losses

Ground losses are low, but the airfield bombing gives quite acceptable results.

[Blubel2]

Air losses
Sorry for the picture sizes by the way. I will try to take smaller ones in new turns...

[thedoctorking]

Unfortunately, because of the failure of the multiplayer system on my machine, I don't have any save games from before about turn 14 to refer back to. I will comment but can't do my own AAR with pictures until we get close to fall.

[AFV]

Is this still going?

[thedoctorking]

We are still playing. Blubel is working on the AAR. We are up to turn 19 now. He has really inflicted a lot of casualties but I still hold the objectives.

[Blubel2]

As the Doctor wrote it is still going. Sorry for the long delay in updating the AAR. I also reuploaded the first turn pictures after some image editing, so hopefully one can better read the thread now on smaller monitors.

[Blubel2]

Turn 2 North

The second week of the war sees the arrival of reinforcements not needed in the south and the capture of Ostrov. The northern pockets hold and most of the Soviet first echolon troops in this sector get taken prisoner.

[Blubel2]

Turn 2 Center

In the center the pocket also holds, but is only slowly reduced as much of the infantry armies march forward as fast as possible. The forest around Bogushevsk is captured opening up the landbridge. In the hopes of a fast exploitation possibility two panzer divisions are kept in reserve.

[Blubel2]

Turn 2 South

In the south the pocket also holds. The troops blocked at Rovno in the first week of the war are squeezed a bit more and the retreat of some more troops around Shepetovk is blocked.

[Blubel2]

A bit further south Proskurov is surrounded and the Romanians start to advance into Bessarabia. On a sidenote Lvov is taken as to forestall evacuation.

[Blubel2]

Turn 3 North

The third week of the war sees a characteristically lull along most of the front as the troops catch their breath and some fuel. In the north at Ostrov the rest of the panzer corps crosses the river and the 18th Army advances into Estonia. The troops send from AG South detrain, march forward and wait for something noteworthy to happen.

[Blubel2]

Turn 3 Center

In the center it is decided that there is no exploit worthy target for 2 divisions this turn, so nothing happens.

[Blubel2]

Turn 3 South

In the south there is some movement east and the soviet formations around Rovno are actually pocketed, even if it won't hold.

[Blubel2]

Turn 4 North

In AG North sector the bridgehead over the river south of Pskov is widened and the infantry begins to cross. Two of the fresh mobile divisions are sent with 18th Army to the Narva, as prior wargames have suggested that the crossing there is most likely to be unsufficiently guarded. The rest takes on more fuel awaiting the things to come.

[Blubel2]

Turn 4 Center

In the Center a slow advance begins to outflank the defenders of Vitebesk, while the infantry tries to catch up. The pocket of week 1 is finally cleared.

[Blubel2]

Turn 4 South

In the south the group of soviet units around Rovno are finally encircled for good. Also a good numbered amount of units are loosly encircled around Vinitsa.