FITE Chambers vs Fulkerson

[larryfulkerson]

Here's an abbreviated version of the Axis losses so far ( as of early in turn 113 ):

[larryfulkerson]

Here's a look at the north end of the front lines during round 4 of turn 113:

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the moves minimovie showing the moves from turns 109 throu 113:

[SMK-at-work]

I am so jealous of you guys getting so far!!

[larryfulkerson]

Curt is going to do a whiz bang Soviet Winter Offensive and break my line and surround my guys and kill them all.  One thing will lead to another and soon he'll be in Berlin and it'll all be over.

And for those guys that were worrying about that one Soviet unit I had surrounded in the flooded marsh hex.....well, he's slowly turning red.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the front lines as of turn 116. Not much change for a long time now. I've gone to the defensive side to conserve my strength for the winter campaign because the Soviet dude is sure to do another offensive this coming winter. We're due for another mud season about turn 136 or so. I've got about 36K Heavy Rifle Squads assigned....that's about as low as I've seen it dip so far.

[larryfulkerson]

As you can see the air war isn't going all that well for the Axis. He has been making probing attacks all up and down the front lines and each time my aircraft has been drawn into furballs and as a result there have been losses on the ground and in the air. I may have to pull the air boys back to Berlin to allow them to survive.

[larryfulkerson]

I predict that Curt is planning on eliminating the bulge here since there is so much Soviet equipment parked nearby.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the front lines as of early turn 118. I have no idea what to try now since the Soviet side is so much stronger and better organized and has air superiority and the initiative has pretty much shifted to Curt to try something. He has been making attrition attacks all over the place to try to whittle my army down to size and it's working. I've had to shift units here and there to contain his attacks and he's gained a hex or two here and there and I suppose there will be an all out attack sometime this winter. I hesitate to make any long range plans unless and until I survive the winter attacks.

Most of the good objectives are in the south of Russia so I suppose I should try to gain those. Stalingrad comes to mind here.

[larryfulkerson]

Some Soviet tanks and a lot more arty have shown up in the front lines near Sevastapol. Now it's not only going to be hard to make any progress there, it's almost going to be impossible. Even if I move some Panzers down there to help out any progress at all would be at a cost of high losses.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what Curt reports as the currrent Soviet losses ( thanks to Curt for the images ):

[Raindem]

Soviet Update, August 1942 -

As we move into late summer Larry's northern crusade has died off as he prepares for what he perceives to be a decisive Soviet winter offensive.  It's probably not going to happen.  Material wise, I'm in good shape.  Most of my losses from the spring and summer campaigns have been replaced and I'm receiving new guards divisions every turn.  But Larry's advances covered an impressive distance and, in my opinion, has placed me in a strategic position that, while not untenable, does not lend itself to a sweeping counter-offensive.  Where would I attack?  The Black Sea coast is stacked with German units back the Crimea. I'd love to be able to re-take Leningrad but that's a lot of distance for a 1942 Soviet army to cover.  There's some opportunities, as Larry pointed out, for small-scale pincer operations but that's about it.  I am simply not in the same position as the historical Soviets to deliver a crushing counter-blow to an exhausted German army running on fumes.

My strategy for most of the game has been a "Rocky IV" strategy.  That is, I stand toe-to-toe with the enemy and take his best punches.  He will eventually tire.  I know it's not a very inspired strategy but it's what I got.  We are now moving into the attrition phase, where I plan to attack up and down the line.  I'm looking for local superiority only, nothing on a large scale.  The goal is simply to wear Larry down to the point where I have some operational flexibility about where to attack.

Sure I am planning a winter offensive, and of course I won't reveal where the focus will be, but it won't be decisive.  It's objective won't be the re-capture of any particular terrain.  It's objective will be the destruction of German units, plain and simple.

[Da_Huge_D]

Where's update? [&:]

[larryfulkerson]

Curt has been attacking the Axis forces all over the place, all up and down the front lines forcing me to move additional forces to the hot spots to contain the Soviets as they gain a hex here or there but for the most part the front lines haven't changed all that much and so far the attacks have not had all that much effect.  We're in the attrition phase of the conflict and I expect to have this go on at least until after the mud season which I expect will start about turn 132 or so.  Curt says he's giving his troops some combat experience and I guess that's a good idea for him to do that because a lot of them are untried yet.  Better to give them a combat rating now rather than when he needs them, really needs them in the heat of combat later on.

[philturco]

No more reports. Is the game over? I hpoe not.

[larryfulkerson]

Nope, the game isn't over...it's just that I was waiting for something interesting to happen before I posted again to save disk space on the server. Well, something interesting finallly happened. Curt is taking advantage of the Winter freezing the rivers and lakes to get around to the rear of some of the Axis areas. The Finns are in danger of being surrounded and destroyed and there isn't anything the Axis can do to prevent it. The Soviets will then have free passage to Leningrad and points south and west. The game is starting to get interesting again. Stay tuned for more news.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the north end of the front lines....pretty much what they were about 100 turns ago. Curt and I are snipping at each other across the front lines and the Axis is loosing the exchange at a very slow rate. But now that the Soviets have gotten the advantage of the Finnish position it is looking like the Germans will have to pull back at least to Leningrad maybe further.

[Raindem]

It was just a lucky coincidence.  I happened to have several light uncommitted divisions on R&R in the area when the lake unexpectedly froze. So I figured what the heck.  If I had actually planned for this maneuver it could have been devastating, but as it stands I don't have much to exploit it with. About all it's going to do is help me leverage the Finns out of their defensive positions.  There will be no glory ride to Leningrad this year.

[larryfulkerson]

Curt has launched his Winter '42 offensive and I've lost about 4,000 HRS squads in the last two turns alone.  I have managed to plug the holes he makes but just barely.  And one more hole and it's a Soviet breakthrough.  The Finns are done for as I have no reserves to send to help them.  This time Curt's offensive is the beginning of the end for the Axis in Russia I'm afraid.

[larryfulkerson]

Okie dokie.......here's the latest news. The Soviet winter '42 offensive continues. His shock level is 120 and the Axis shock is 95 and his continued attacks has cost the Axis about 7,000 HRS squads so far these past three turns. As you can see from the picture below he has made multiple breakthroughs and the Axis is in danger of being pinched off and eleminated. I'm making plans to pull back almost to Berlin so that his supply lines will be all that much longer and I'll be closer to the reinforcements when they reconstitute. Additionally, my lines will be shorter, less real estate to defend and my supply will be better than his.