AAR - Infanteer on the Ost Front

[Infanteer]

Howdy All,

I've been wargaming for years after cutting my teeth on Panzer General. I picked up this game a few months back and am impressed by the scale and detail of it. I've been scouring through the forums to get a better grasp on the learning curve. I've found the AARs interesting enough that I decided to launch my own. I'm hoping to use this for AAR purposes, to better my playing ability.

This is a '41 campaign being played with FoW and all setting on normal with historical weather. I plan to post up in 5 turn blocks (about a month) and to summarize the previous turns. After each season, I'll stop for a bit to re-evaluate ends, ways and means.

Here goes....

[Infanteer]

Ost Front - the Plan.

The political aim is the complete subjugation of the U.S.S.R. To do so, the strategy is to take all key political and industrial centers in a line from Leningrad to Rostov, forcing a capitualtion of the Soviet government. Since the key to victory is VPs, destruction of enemy units will be a secondary objective; decisive engagements are sought to seize the key points.

The tactical means to do so we be the Panzer Groups of the 3 Army Groups. After penetration is made by the infantry, they will punch through to either create cauldrons to destroy large numbers of Soviet forces or to disrupt their defensive cohesion and force a general withdrawl (gaining VPs).

Here are the general German aims for the Summer and Fall of 1941.

[Infanteer]

Army Group North's plan is to push 18 Army up through the Baltics to approach Leningrad from the coast. 16 Army will push into east towards Pskov, swinging North on the east side of Lake Ilman to cut Leningrad and Lake Ladoga off from the east. The Finns will put as much pressure as the are politically able to on the North on both sides of Lake Ladoga.

Spearheading this all, of course, will be 4 Pzr Group, which will make haste to Pskov and northeast to isolate Leningrad as soon as possible.

It is anticipated that this movement and reduction of Leningrad will take until September, with the possibility of pushing east into the difficult terrain of Northern Russia.

[Infanteer]

Army Group Center's operational goal for 1941 is, of course, Moscow. To do so, Pzr Groups 3 and 2 will aim to create 3 large cauldrons at Minsk, Smolensk and Moscow. The infantry of 9 and 4 Army will follow up to clean out the Russian forces left behind by the thrusts of the Panzers.

[Infanteer]

Army Group South, with a tremendous amount of distance to cover on the Steppe, aims for the line of Kursk/Kharkov/Stalino/Rostov. This will basically be a bulldozer push by 6, 17, and 11 Armies and the Romanians. 1 Pzr Group will first close off the Lvov salient and then move through the center of the Army Group, exploiting oppurtunities to flank or cut off as they appear.

Obviously, the biggest concern for this Army Group's campaign plan is the Dnepr River; if the Soviets can get to it in good order, there will likely be significant delays due to the need to force a crossing. Beating the enemy to the river is a key mission.

[Infanteer]

Army Group North's first week went as expected, with Pzr Group 1 crossing the Daugava on multiple points with no opposition. Obstacle one - check. Part of 18 Army is a little hung up at the coast, but the infantry have pushed through and the Soviet line has vanished.

[Infanteer]

Army Group Center had great success. Pzr Group 3 reached the outskirts of Minsk in a single week! With Pzr Group 2, travelling through tougher terrain, having breached the Neman and closing in on Minsk from the south. The Panzer Groups also created a large cauldron with the infantry smashing the cut-off Soviet forces which are sluggishly trying to flee east.

[Infanteer]

Army Group South faced a more determined opposition, but still managed to implement a sound operational plan to destroy the Soviet line. In the face of stiff resistance, 17 Army fixed the strong Soviet forces around Lvov while 6 Army and 1 Pzr Group breach the line south of the Pripyet Marshes and pushed hard to the southeast, with 14 Pzr Div capturing Tarnopol. The noose around the Soviets is quickly closing in the South.

The Romanians and 11 Army are delayed in begining the offensive to the South.

[Infanteer]

June ends for AGN achieving a breakout from Riga and pushing hard to the next natural obstacle around Lake Pskov. 1 Pzr Div fights its way to the gates of Pskov and mauls the Soviet defenders while the rest of the Pzr Group breach the Velikaya River. 18 Army continues to clean up Lithuania and Latvia while 16 Army pushes east and deals with Soviet stragglers. The infantry is at the Daugava.

[Infanteer]

Army Group Center has also achieved a great breakout. 3 Pzr Group has pushed on to the Dnepr River with 7 Pzr Div capturing the city of Vitebsk. 2 Pzr Group has encircled the dug in defenders of Minsk and will starve them into capitulation as it fuels up for its next drive over the Dnepr. The infantry forces have cleared the Minsk pocket, inflicting substantial casualties on the Soviets. 4 Army has also pushed a Corps deep into the Pripyet Marshes to clear this enclave of Soviet forces that could threated the flanks of either AGC or AGS.

Some reorganization took place as all Inf Divs and Inf Corps within the Pzr Groups were transferred to the Armies.

[Infanteer]

June ends with AGS having closed the Lvov Pocket, sealing the fate of the powerful yet sluggish Soviet forces. 14 Pzr Div pushed hard from Tarnopol to the Romanian border. 6 Army has spread itself to form an effective screen to keep the pocket closed. Both 17 Army in the North and 11 Army in the South, along with the Romanians, have completed all preparations and will be ready to begin their general offensives.

[Infanteer]

As fighting in July starts, AGN finds 18 Army completing the clearance of the lower Baltics and pushing a Corps into Estonia to push to the North of Lake Peipus before and effective defence can be prepared at this natural checkpoint. 16 Army is delayed in its eastword movement dealing with Soviet stragglers. 4 Pzr Group, at the end of its logistical teather, finally starts to slow down. During the week, it captures the city of Pskov and get the entire Group across the Velikaya to begin probing northeast to Lake Ilmen. A Soviet line begins to appear in the marshes to the direct east.

[Infanteer]

Army Group Center experiences both gains and setbacks in the beginning of July. In the south, 2 Pzr Group pushes hard after the garrison of Minsk surrenders, crossing the Dnepr in multiple places and capturing Mogilev with little effort. Although this breach south of Smolensk is significant, determined Soviet defences appear to be shoring up to the east.

More dangerously, 3 Pzr Group has gotten a little too bold in its march and has seen XXXIX Pzr Corps cut off to the northeast of Vitebsk by Soviet forces, who appear to be recovering from the initial shock of the invasion. Although the Corps doesn't appear to be in danger of being overrun, it is short on fuel and in contact with a hardening Soviet line. they will need to go firm and wait for support to move up. This thrust will stop for now.

The infantry armies begin to make good time through Belarus, with Minsk firmly in German hands and the railroad being pushed out as fast as possible.

[Infanteer]

For AGS, the first week of July sees the infantry armies finally moving into action and reducing much of the Lvov Pocket. They will be delayed for a week or two as they clear up this significant Soviet presence.

1 Pzr Group, having sealed the fate of the Soviets of Lvov, begins its next task and pushes east aross the Ukrainian steppe. Pushing out from Tarnopol, it bypasses a strong group of Soviets around Proskurov and heads 125 miles to the east aimed at a Tarnopol/Zhitomir/Kiev axis. It really has no firm goal in mind as it pressed east, largely taking the path of least resistance in an effort to make the Dnepr.

Due to the deep push of 1 Pzr Group and the multiple crossings of 11 Army and the Romanians over the Prut River marking the Romanian/Soviet border, the Soviets have begun a general withdrawl bordering on a general rout. The objective is obvious - the race to the Dnepr has begun!

[Infanteer]

As the second week of July progresses, Field Marshall von Leeb moves AGN HQ to Riga as 18 Army cuts a swathe through Estonia with no resistance. In the face of punishing attacks, the Soviets begin to withdraw east again, allowing 4 Pzr Group to advance over the Shelon river. Obviously, the panzers will want to maintain close contact with the withdrawing Soviets so as to prevent them from hardening a line around the area of Lake Ilmen, the last obstacle before the push north to cut Leningrad.

16 Army, finally free of cleaning out the eastern Baltics, is starting to arrive at Pskov and catch the Panzers, giving more weight to the push on Lake Ilmen.

[Infanteer]

For Army Group Center, the situation in the north grows more dire. The Soviet general withdrawl has closed the pocket around XXXIX Pzr Corps. Although the Corps is still holding out, General Schmidt has placed his forces at great risk of being overrun by the sheer number of Soviets in the area. He is out of fuel and is unable to move. Fortunately for him, the leading elements of 9 Army are pushing forward and should be able to relieve his forces within the next week. Until then, the rest of the Pzr Group will continue to destroy Soviet units trying to hold the cordon Hold fast, General!

To the south, 3 Pzr Group pushed out 30 miles from the Dnepr bridgeheads, disrupting the Soviet defence line. What had appeared strong was in fact qute brittle. Behind it, 4 Army is a week out of Mogilev while the clearance of the Pripyet marshes (off the map) is about 25% complete.

To say the least, progress as slowed for AGC - the complete stall of 3 Pzr Group to the north has delayed, if not wrecked, any chances of forming a cauldron around the considerable Soviet forces at Smolensk. A chance for operational breakthrough still appears possible to the south of the city though.

[Infanteer]

Great news in the South - the great city of Kiev was seized without resistance by 14 Pzr Div. What's more, the Fuhrer's own guards, the Leibstandarte Div, pushed across the Dnepr and has formed a solid bridgehead in east Kiev. This was the result of a bold gamble by Colonel General von Kleist that saw the Pzr Group push an additional 150 miles over the week. That is almost 300 miles of penetration into the steppe for the Pzr Group in 2 weeks. The thrust has been on a narrow front, and the obvious danger of being cut off exists. However, firm lodgement of Kiev and effective management of the forces holding the corridor should allow us to exploit this. AGS may have won the race to the Dnepr.

17 Army finished mopping up the remainder of the Lvov pocket and began its move east to catch the panzers. With the liquidation of the pocket, 6 Army breaks its screen and starts to move to Kiev, skirting the south edge of the Pripyet Marshes, capturing Rovno.

To the south, 11 Army regains contact with the fleeing Soviets at the Dnestr River. The breakout to the north seems to have the Soviet forces in utter panic - despite numerous rivers to make a stand, the Soviets continue to break to the rear.

[Infanteer]

A better picture of the breakthrough and capture of Kiev. Looking at the Soviet forces bypassed, the deep penetration is definately a risk, but the prize makes it worth taking.

[Infanteer]

As the first month of fighting comes to a close, AGN completes its sweep through the Baltics. The lead Corps of 18 Army reaches the chokepoint of Lake Peipus, the last natural barrier before Leningrad. Although the Soviet forces seem to have dug in there, they shouldn't prove to hard to crack, especially as the rest of the Army is a weeks march behind. Security forces are pushing to take the Estonian captial without resistance.

4 Pzr Group has seen it's advance slowed due to a lack of fuel. However, it continues to grind forward, pushing the Soviet line against the Lake Ilmen rivers. The lead elements of 16 Army begin to arrive to help the panzers by giving them support in the closed terrain and allowing them to replenish their supplies.

An obvious dilemma begins to become apparent. With 18 Army approaching from the west and 16 Army sweeping to the east of Leningrad, a significant flank is open to the south of the city around Novgorod. To cover this off, 2 Army, forming in Poland, is now moving by rail through the Baltics and will be attached to AGS for the capture of Leningrad. 2 Army, although green, has had a month to build itself and consists of XXXV and LI Corps. As well, numerous new division pushed to the East Front are being moved to reinforce 16 and 18 Armies, as the siege of Leningrad will be the first major objective to be hit.

[Infanteer]

In week 5, AGC finally relieves the beleagured Corps in the north, as 9 Army finally catches up with 3 Pzr Group. Colonel General Hoth has taken advantage of the attention focused on Schmidt's Corps and has managed to push the rest of the force north into the open terrain, rapidly closing in on Veliki Lukie which does not appear to have a coherent Soviet defence. As 9 Army begins to establish contact with the Soviets, the drained Pzr Corps can replenish itself and begin its forward momentum again. To the south, the Soviet line begins to buckle, with a large salient formed south of Smolensk. The lead elements of 4 Army have crossed the Dnepr and are moving to support a breakout by Guderian's 2 Pzr Group.