Current Progress

[HansBolter]

This isn't intended to be a full AAR. Earlier I posted a few screenshots in another thread of my current game as Russian against a C+ AI.

A few expressed interest in seeing addtional screenshots of further progress.

I found some time to play a couple more turns. The game is currently at the beginning of turn 8 for the Russians.

Here is the state of affairs in the north at Kharkov: The German tank divisions pulled out of the center of Kharkov to hit the cavalry on the northern side of the point of the salient. The cavalry is pretty beat up and I expect to try to consolidate my hold on the city and shore up the northern flank. I was close to encircling all the German uinits in the city but just didin't have sufficient forces to do so as a result how much I have committed at Krasnodar and the need to react to the German offensive in the south. I have almost the entire 51st Corps surrounded but don't have suffiecient strength to reduce the pocket.

[HansBolter]

Here is the current state of affairs in the south west. Earlier I took Krasnodar, but with insufficient strength to hold it. By taking Krasnodar and the town west of it I succeeded in releasing three alert reinforcement divisions that look like they will make a huge impact on my efforts to stop the German breakthrough in the southeast. I have a large pocket at Krasnodar, but again I am too weak to reduce it. With events spiraling to the southeast I may have to abandon this pocket soon to save my forces.

[HansBolter]

The situation in the southeast. The 9th Army was mauled at Barenkovo where the army HQ was overrun and destroyed. It will be returning as a reinforcemnt next turn. I have reacted to the German breakout with a polyglot of forces that are scrambling to block the juggernauts progress. I look pretty solid at Izium, especially with the arrival of two of the three alert reinforcement divisions. The Germans concentrated their tank drive to the west of the swampy terrain west of Izium looking to cross the river there and drive on to the existing German fort line of the old front line, which is the obvious pinch point of the Russian salient. I pulled all of 6th Army's artillery back to pummel two German recon units that arrived at the river last turn ahead of the tanks and also to begin reducing the German fort line that forms the anvil for the panzer's hammer. It's been a pretty wild game so far.

[emcgman]

Wow, Hans.
 
I'm really impressed that you have Kharkov on turn 8 against C+.
 
Do you actually plan to keep the Germans from taking Izyum, or just stall as long as possible to collect as many VP's as you can?
 
Nice AAR.

[HansBolter]

I actually don't have a good handle on what to do next in this scenario. I have only played it one other time as the Germans. I'm kind of hesitant to commit myslef to a particular course of action from here.

When I played the Germans the AI continued it's offensive to the west and did almost nothing to effectively counter the German breakthrough and the resulting surrounding of most of the Soviet troops in the "bulge". It looks to me that the only hope the Soviets have of saving their southern pincer is to abandon the offensive. You can see that I have already pulled the 6th Army's artillery back to help deal with the breakthrough.

If I maintain the pocket at Krasnodar all my forces their may well end up in German POW camps. I am not sure the German panzer divisions can be stopped. It may be necessary to let them run their course of slicing through while trying to isolate them from their infantry support. To do this I will have to fall back with the Krasnodar forces, which unhinges the southern flank of my position at Kharkov.

I can probably hold Izium for at least three more turns if I commit the alert reinforcements there. However, if I do there will be no hope of even slowing the drive of the panzers that is happening to the west of the swamps. The AO of the 57th army will not allow them to man the river line currently being held by the polyglot group of tanks directly in fornt of the panzers. If I want to make crossing that river have any degree of difficulty for the Germans I will have to commit the alert reinforcements there (they can make there this turn).

Decisons, decisions......