GPW v5 6 player - Ger+Sov Souther Theater

[jjdenver]

[AGS Turn 8 - mid July 41]

1st Pz Armee pushes north while the trailing 3rd Romanian takes the airfield north of Cherkassy and digs in at the bridgehead.

Farther south 11th Army stares at the huge soviet defenses on the east riverbank.

[jjdenver]

[Turn 8 - Romanians]

Romanian 4th Army takes Perakop and swings northeast along the coastal road.

[jjdenver]

[Turn 9 AGS - early August 41]

6th Army is unable to mount an attack on the fortified suburbs of Kiev. Meanwhile 17th Army slogs along still trying to reach Cherkassy - I should have used some strategic movement to get them forward but didn't think about it at the time.

1st Pz Army makes rapid progress north and nearly cuts the road from Kiev to Kursk - the last lifeline for supplies to get into Kiev.

[jjdenver]

[Turn 9 - Romanians - early August 41]

11th Army is shelled by lots of Soviet artillery positioned east of Dnepropetrovsk - preparations are cautiously made for a crossing west of the city.

Meanwhile Romanian 4th Army continues along the Azov coast toward Melitopol and probes into the Crimean.

[jjdenver]

[Turn 10 - AGS]

The encirclement of Kiev is finally complete. 17th Army joins the party at long last - crossing the Dniepr northwest of Cherkassy. 1st Pz Army hides in the forests east of Kiev since by this time the Soviets have gained air dominance. The Romanian air force has lost I think every single fighter that it owns. There are some surviving Luftwaffe fighters but they are grounded until more fighters can be built and brought to the front to contest the air again.

[jjdenver]

[Turn 10 - Romanians]

11th Army is able to cross the Dniepr northwest of Dnepropetrovsk. They face withering Soviet artillery fire but a tenuous bridgehead is formed despite heavy losses. Soviet and Axis air is all concentrated around Kiev so little air support is available for either side.

Farther south Romanian 4th Army is clearly going nowhere around Melitopol so a few divisions probe further into the Crimea.

[Vic]

Soviet Perspective, round 7

Trying to hold Kiev, Dnjepr Line, Sevastopol and Kerch.
Enemy Panzers are bound to cut off Kiev.

[Vic]

Soviet Perspective, round 8

Enemy Panzers will cut of Kiev for sure now. Lot of infantry divisions are taking up positions to form a ring.

We will let our forces be encircled and keep Kiev production in our hands as long or possible. Supply is not an issue for this "Kessel" since Kiev is one of our two arrival hexes.

[Vic]

Soviet Perspective, round 9

Kiev is as good as encircled, but forces there remain intact.
Dnjepr Front is holding.

[bwheatley]

Hang in their vic!

[jjdenver]

Oh interesting. I thought I was starving out Kiev when in face they can last until 1945 there w/ the arrival hex. Blech. I'll have to actually assault that thing - it's a beast of a fortress.

[Joshuatree]

Yeah pretty strange actually they can hold out indefenitely... sort of what happened though. Large formations of Russian troops were passed by and trapped in pockets, but they had to be dealt with later on. Meaning you can't send those troops to where you really need them most. Good luck with the assault.

[Vic]

Soviet view, round 10

[Vic]

Soviet view, round 11

[Vic]

Soviet view, round 12

[Vic]

Soviet view, round 13

[Vic]

Soviet view, round 14