War Reports from the Eastern Front: Carnage vs Redmarkus

[CarnageINC]

I'm facing increasing resistance in this area. He's starting to deepen his front somewhat. I still think I can push forward and capture both primary objectives and then maybe push south a little to get the secondary one. I can see moscow and it gets my heart going to know that I'm getting within 70 miles of it.

[CarnageINC]

All quite in the Sumy Front! 6th Armee is being stretched to the max to cover what i need it to. I'll keep pushing forward while I wait for panzer support from either the south or from Leningrad. Both look a ways off in coming.

[CarnageINC]

With 1st Pz Grp coming from the south I expect this area to be alive with combat activity soon. I hope to have Red pushed away from the Dnepr entirely. I'm starting to relocate my Romanians units to rear security duties, I don't trust them, except the mountain boys, to do anything good during my first winter. Best get used to not having them now.

[CarnageINC]

This operation is running way ahead of where I though it would be. I'm sure Red's defense on the eastern end is on the fly. He has yet to really put up a preplanned fortification line. I'm using solely infantry divisions to drive through to the swamps.

[Ketza]

Your situation in leningrad looks dangerous.
 
The crimea has ne scrathing my head on what he was thinking.

[Flaviusx]

Whatever he is doing, it's not historical. (Like that business in the Crimea.) And I notice among many other sins, he's throwing away vast amounts of APs on forts. These cost 16 APs a shot in 1941.

[Klydon]

I would consider sending some of those Rumanians down south into the Crimea so you don't have to put as many German units down there.

Leningrad is in trouble, but I think you will run out of time here unfortunately, although having a rail head so close will help the logistics in the area and make it easier to rail in some troops if you want to make it a target. Center looks a bit thin as well in the drive for Moscow. I think you have enough to keep going for now, but the armies there are going to get swamped with Russian re-enforcements during October and will find the going very tough after that I think.

By sending 1st Panzer to the Crimea, I think you will probably come up short on Rostov, but getting into the Stalino area would be big and a good place to spend the winter I think.

Overall, very interesting.

[Flaviusx]

Losing Rostov in exchange for the Crimea is a very good trade. Rostov, even if it falls, is difficult to hold onto and probably exceeds the grasp of German logistics in 1941 to begin with. The Crimea practically defends itself with a 1 hex chokepoint at Kerch. Although you have to be careful of amphibious end runs. Still, it won't take much to lock it down.

[Klydon]

Yep, I agree. I would rather have the Crimea (especially without much of a fight) than Rostov in 1941. If Carnage can get the Stalino area under his jackboot, that is about as good of a place as the Germans can reasonably hope for in an advance in the south. Kharkov is another spot to get if he can, but the Germans are not very strong in that area. 

[Q-Ball]

Wow, reading this I am quaking in my boots (I'm in a PBEM v Carnage, only turn 5). This looks BAD for the Red Army!!!!!

Need to get back to planning Carnage's demise.....

[notenome]

I would not take the bait and turn on Novgorod. You'll bag troops but Leningrad will be gone. All troops he sends now are going to be green reinforcements with no fort levels. Use a checkerboard screen to the west and divert troops to the east. Also if I were you I'd try to put as much pressure as I could on Moscow, no need to encircle or anything, just break his lines and force him to send reserves there. No Soviet player is willing to trade Moscow for Leningrad or anything in the South. Pressure him into reinforcing the area so he won't be able to reinforce Leningrad, and throw the kitchen sink at those ports. Concentrate air, artillery, pioneers, supplies and keep pounding. You are 50 miles out from the ports with 5 turns to go, you only need 1 hex a turn to make it, that is clearly possible. Again I'd advise you to use HQ buildup and use a swarm of bombers, you can clear out the city during the snow.
 
By taking Leningrad and the Crimea you 've resolved the OstHeers 'wings' for 42. Then you'll have 17 turns to take Moscow in 42, destroying the Red Army in the process.

[Mynok]

He's got to get all the way to the Finnish border to isolate Leningrad. Not going to happen unless he swings east around Ilmen and heads north from there. He ready doesn't have the infantry to cover that move however.

[CarnageINC]

ORIGINAL: Klydon

On a side note, how are your rail heads coming along? Getting this type of advance, especially in the south, has to mean your logistics is getting fairly crappy I would think.

My AGN rail head is caught up to Leningrad, the 2 AGC rail heads are right behind the front by 100 miles or so I believe. AGS is currently around Kiev region and 11th Army is right behind 11th Army. I wish I would of swung it farther south to help out 1st Panzer but that's just the way it went I guess.

[CarnageINC]

Here is my OKH report

[Flaviusx]

It's going to be tough to fully isolate Leningrad before mud. Nevertheless, even if you fall short, it's still a good idea to cut it off from overland supply and grab the Volkhov river defense line.

[CarnageINC]

I noticed that Red is placing fortified regions in with his front line units. I don't understand what he's doing with those, they just take up space on the front and make front lines weaker. Since this is war, I'm going to use every advantage I can against my Communist enemy!

I have doubts if I can achieve Leningrad since I never planned on getting it in the first place. 4th Pz. Grp. was suppose to go south by now and help get Kharkov. I just don't know about Red sometimes. If i can cut the rail line he definitely will have a hard time keeping Leningrad just because he hardly has any units in the city area.

[CarnageINC]

I'm so close to Moscow I decided to make this the key objective of Ares. I don't like salients and I still might not drive straight to Moscow. If i did I drive forward and not make it I would only have to pull back out during the mud, therefor negating the whole offensive. His units in the center I was not able to fully isolate them so they will be a pain in the arse for another week or so [:@].

[Flaviusx]

Yes, his fort spam is a total waste of APs. The proper amount of APs that ought to be spent on these in 1941 is approximately zero. He'd be better off simply banking the points if he cannot figure out what to do with them. But there ought to be plenty of other things for him to do with them.

He's dropping hundreds of APs on forts near as I can tell. Total waste.

[CarnageINC]

Wrong picture

[CarnageINC]

The continuation of Hades is about to start again. I believe I can make it to my objective line before the mud hits. I can't see Red reinforcing his line. He has failed to do it across the board. This is a good jumping point for a Baku offensive in 42! I have confidence in this kind of offensive due to the observation of his play.