Pride goes before a Fall Blau - 42-45 GC AAR

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 4.

The Voronezh pocket holds. However, our panzer spearheads west of Stalingrad are asssailed by enemy forces, but their feeble attempts at counterattacks are easily repulsed. However, our panzers need to be extricated. Hope this does not involve us in fighting we do not want...

West of Stalingrad, start of German turn 4.

[Klydon]

Really surprised that Russian tank corps that is next to the Slovakian motorized unit did not sweep just a bit further west to regain contact with the pocket. Now, any attack you make there will cause them to surrender where if he had re-established contact, any attacks would have likely resulted in units routing out of the pocket or it would force you to take another turn to reestablish the pocket.

I will be interested to see what sort of restraint you can place on yourself with very few forces left in front of you to keep your lines somewhat short. I would also think you would look to take some measures up north in order to try to shorten your lines up a bit over time.

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: Klydon

Really surprised that Russian tank corps that is next to the Slovakian motorized unit did not sweep just a bit further west to regain contact with the pocket. Now, any attack you make there will cause them to surrender where if he had re-established contact, any attacks would have likely resulted in units routing out of the pocket or it would force you to take another turn to reestablish the pocket.

I don't think they hade the MP, there is a river in front.

[Tarhunnas]

Yes, I did put myself in trouble! There are enourmous amounts of Soviet units in the Don bend, and I can't reach my cut off advanced divisions! They will have to hold out for another turn with air supply!

In the north, I cut off Vlasov and 2d shock army outside Leningrad in a carefullly prepared operation!

On the Voronezh front, the pocket is duly eliminated and Voronezh taken. I sense a weakness north of Voronezh, there doesn't seem to be much Soviet strength in the area... But I keep my panzers back, they need to rest some after the previous 3 tuurns of headlong advance.

In the south, surrounded Rostov is captured. I had been joyriding a bit with SS Wiking south of Rostov, cutting the railroad between Stalingrad and Krasnnodar, but they were tar-babied by hordes of 1=1s and had to be extricated.

Shot of the area west of Stalingrad after German turn 4. Not a good situation, but such are the fruits of overconfidence...

[gids]

idd didnt have the MP to go over the river

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: gids

idd didnt have the MP to go over the river

A spy! You said you wouldn't read!!! [:@] [:-]

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 5.

Well, that didn't end too well. One panzer, one motorized division lost, just because of overconfidence...

To top it, there was mud all over the map! I really don't like the possibility of mud in july when playing with random weather! Nothing much happening turn 5 due to the mud. Vlassov is slowly starving in his swamp, the small pockket north of Smolensk is still holding out (amazingly resilent they are). I make some spoiling attacks where I have good odds to keep the russkies from digging in.

The mud makes antipartisan operations almost impossible due to low movement.

I have instituted an aptidude test for my commanders (commanders report - leaders - sort on inf or mech). Some generals are apparently unfit for command! Paulus is replaced by Kempf, and some bad apples among the corps commanders are sent to command the army mess kit polishing school in Breslau and similar honorable posts.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 6

The mud has dried up, just as mysteriously as it started. The SS troops have apparently beeen praying to some old Germanic weather god or other...

The turn is spent regrouping to more tenable positions in preparation for further operations. My armor is beginning to seem really depleted and Soviet resitance is stiffening appreciably.

In the North, Vlassov is still holding out in his swamp, despite serious attempts to induce surrender (including promises of important posts on the German side).

Map of southern sector after measures to straighten the front (not to be confused with retreats). End of German turn 6.

[Tarhunnas]

In the Voronezh sector, I have an evil plan brewing. The Soviet forces on both sides of Lipetsk appear weak. I make some preliminary thrusts by the infantry and keep the Armor behind the front to let them rest. To hopefully shield them from enemy reconnnaisance, I park a panzer corps in Voronezh. No forests nearby, and the city is supposed to shield them from recon IIRC.

"In the city, the mighty city, the Panzers sleep tonight..."

Next turn, the infantry will attempt a breaktrough helped by the newly arrived 11th army. If the initial attacks go well, I will unleash the panzers...

Map of Voronezh sector and planned attacks, end of German turn 6.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 7

Success! The Lipetsk operation goes even better than planned! Relatively weak Soviet forces on the flanks are brushed aside and the panzers move in to encircle Lipetsk, and more importantly, the Soviet forces defending it. As an added bonus, Tambov is found ungarrisoned and occupied by an SS-brigade.

More good news. Vlassov finally surrenders in the north, and a small penetration is achevied north of Smolensk by local forces. The inhabitants of the Demyansk pocket are slowly oozing westwards towards safety.

Below map of textbook encirclement of Lipetsk. This time, nothing is left to chance! A double ring of encirclement with no holes to creep through. This operation will be studied at the panzer school for years to come...

[PeeDeeAitch]

Caesar at Alesia could not be more proud...lines of circumvallation and contravallation.

[Klydon]

Panzer regiments in 1942.. someone is brave.

[karonagames]

Linear defences with 3 high stacks - yummy.

[Senno]

Now that's an encirclement.

[Oleg Mastruko]

So far so good, just be wary of "victory disease".... [8D]

[Senno]

ORIGINAL: Oleg Mastruko

So far so good, just be wary of "victory disease".... [8D]

Ooo, is it communicable? Can you catch it by visiting this thread? I doubt I am in any danger, being innoculated. But Oleg, I am worried for your health..[:D]

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: Senno

ORIGINAL: Oleg Mastruko

So far so good, just be wary of "victory disease".... [8D]

Ooo, is it communicable? Can you catch it by visiting this thread? I doubt I am in any danger, being innoculated. But Oleg, I am worried for your health..[:D]

I have already come down with it once, see post #20. But I think that is one of those diseases that you don't easily catch again once you've had it. [;)] Anyway, these are not really great victories, I bag a few 100k prisoners, but I will have to keep this up for a long time, and never slip up...

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: Klydon

Panzer regiments in 1942.. someone is brave.

I used regimenst because I wanted a solid line that they couldn't ooze through, either into or out. In this case, the risks seemed manageable because I had rivers to strenghten the lines on both flanks, and I had a solid line so nobody was likely to be surrounded. Also, I had cleared a zone of German owned hexes in front of my lines, which will make it harder for the Sovs to move in and have the MPs for deliberate attacks. But I agree, regiments are to be used with extreme caution in 1942 and beyond.

[Tarhunnas]

True to my strategy, I now abandon Tambov, leaving the city a smoking ruin, and throw my panzer spearheads to the west. The object is to catch the Soviets wrong-footed. I encircle another bunch of hapless peasants and workers in uniform further to the west.

Meanwhile, in the north, a resourceful local commander has managed to scrape together a strike force and is throwing it against the flank of the Soviet protrusion north of Smolensk.

Map of new encirclement to the west of Lipetsk, end of German turn 8.

[Tarhunnas]

And the situation north of Smolensk, end of German turn 8.