Providence Lost: A 42-45 multiplayer grand campaign game

[Jajusha]

Not everything looks bad on the soviet side. State Defense Committee ordered the replacement of the light T-60 (armed with a poor 20mm cannon).

There are several candidates, but this one stands out:



Packing a 76.2 mm gun, if aproved, more then 120 individual brigades, support units and corps will receive this tank destroyer by December.

[fiva55]

ORIGINAL: Infanteer

What's the reasoning of the scenario to have all those units in static?

Just so you know, large parts of Army Group central and south are also in static mode. The Germans in static mode is probably to simulate that a large effort was put into a offensive in the south, and to encourage the player to start a summer offensive in that sector.

The Soviets in static mode is probably to simulate the Germans having achieved a strategic surprise. Combined with the low CV and DV in the south, it allows for initial gains very much like the Germans achieved in 1942.

And for those curious, it cost the Germans 3-5 AP reactivating inf regiments and divisions and about 20-30 Ap to reactivate motorized and panzer divisions. This while getting 50 AP a turn. Now you know where I spend all my AP on .

[fiva55]

This turn I mostly spend cleaning up pockets. Only a few persistent pockets remain on the Valdai Hills, the swamps around Leningrad and Leningrad itself. The Soviets make some probing attacks on my lines in the north, most likely to prevent me from digging in.

I have also started to reorganise my front lines, trimming down and filling up armies wherever needed. From the way things look, I will be able to put at least one more army in strategic reserve without weakening my frontlines, but we will see.

The success of 4th Panzer Army also made me decide to duplicate its structure for the other 3 Panzer Armies. Like 4th Panzer Army I will fill those up with only Panzer and Mot/Mech divisions as long as I can find them . I find such a concentration of firepower ideal to break through and exploit the Soviet lines of 1942 onwards. Infantry divisions simply don't cut it anymore with an average of 4-7 CV against a defensive value of 40+. With all across the board deep advances impossible, I believe its more practical to focus all my firepower into several key breakthrough armies.

There are obvious disadvantages though:
1) Putting all my eggs into one basket. Should such a army get severely weakened or even destroyed, I will have lost a significant amount of offensive strength.

2) I probably will have less panzer armies. Though some of the current panzer armies are panzer armies in name only. 1st Panzer army only has 3 armoured and 1 mot division versus 14 infantry divisions.

3) The remaining armies will have lost a important mobile reserve and offensive strength.

Though this is all theory, we will see how it works out in the coming offensives.

On the side note, I predict not much will happen the coming turns, so I will mainly make some post with some warpics like I have done until now. Does anyone find them annoying and think I should stop posting non game related pictures and screenshots?

[fiva55]

18th Army has been given the honor to capture Leningrad. Initial reports indicate that although resistance is fierce, substantial progress has been made. General Georg Lindemann, commander of 18th Army, assures us that that the fall of Leningrad will be achieved within 3 weeks.

[Infanteer]

Personally, I like how you are making this AAR a story with a bit of personality- it makes it unique and makes the moving a small boxes with numbers interesting. Keep on keeping on!

[fiva55]

ORIGINAL: Infanteer

Personally, I like how you are making this AAR a story with a bit of personality- it makes it unique and makes the moving a small boxes with numbers interesting. Keep on keeping on!

Alright, thanks for the encouragement. Here is a pic for you .

The final phase of the 1942 summer offensive: Tiger tanks of 502nd Heavy Pz Bn, attached to the depleted 24th Panzer Division, prove their worth against enemy T34s

[fiva55]

Having crossed the Neva and captured over 75 percent of Leningrad, just one final effort has to be made to capture the crown of our summer offensive: Leningrad.

Under the watchful eyes of the Luftwaffe, the siege of Leningrad enters its final phase

[fiva55]

All offensive operations have been halted due to the mud season. Leningrad still has 1 hex left for me to capture.

Meanwhile, down south, a interesting new development:

Taking advantage of the mud, the Soviets advance into no man's land and start hugging our frontlines in the south

[fiva55]

Despite fierce attacks and overwhelming firepower, the last defenders of Leningrad still continue to resist.

Down south, a massive build up of Soviet troops can be detected. Everything points to a major Soviet offensive in this sector. Still, OKH decides not to send their strategic reserve down south. With 3 lines of fortifications, we feel confident that we will be able to hold the line. Suspecting that the south is merely a diversion for a real thrust somewhere else, 4th Panzer Army will only be committed once we are sure where the Soviet plan to strike.


Resisting till the last, these Soviet antitank gunners prove to be a formidable obstacle for the stugs supporting the infantry

[fiva55]

So are there any good fortune tellers who are willing to predict for me where the Soviets will strike ?

[fiva55]

Leningrad finally falls after a long and bloody battle. This great victory is tarnished however, when 18th Army, eager to get revenge, starts looting and burning the city. Only the summarily execution of the worst offenders calms things down again.

By then, the worse has already been done. News of the looting and burning of Leningrad spreads across the world, when a photo is leaked to the western media. This prompts mass outcry among the allies, with the USA in particular promising increased support to the Soviet Union. In the Soviet Union, partisans start emerging everywhere, ready to avenge Leningrad.

Though it was initially intended to pull back 18th Army from the front lines and use them as a strategic reserve, this plan has changed. To punish them for their behaviour and allow them to regain their honor, 18th Army has been send to the front lines in the Northern sector, where skirmishes with partisans and Soviet front line troops are daily occurrences.

In other news, our statistics bureau have told us that they are nearly done analysing the results of our summer campaign, and will publish a report soon.

[krupp_88mm]

So are there any good fortune tellers who are willing to predict for me where the Soviets will strike ?

if u look for him near he will devour everything behind, if you look for him far he will devour everything ahead, if you look for him within he will be devoured

[fiva55]

ORIGINAL: krupp_88mm

if u look for him near he will devour everything behind, if you look for him far he will devour everything ahead, if you look for him within he will be devoured

How could we possibly lose the war in the east with such an accurate prediction. OKH has appointed me to negotiate a contract with you to have your advice on all military matters from now onwards. Perhaps you desire a winter dacha around Moscow ?

[Klydon]

Congrats on just a shattering victory.

As far as where he will strike; I think in the south is a good start. His army is largely intact there I assume and he also has several tank corps that were with Southern Front unless he sent them up north. The commanders down there are not that hot, but given time, he can probably get that fixed. If it was me, I would probably try to get going down there just to see how thin you are. I would have some reserves forming up some place if I could and wait and see how things go down south. If they get going well, then I would be tempted to send them down there. If you respond in a heavy way, then I would send the reserves elsewhere to start pushing.

The thing that has him in so much trouble is the amount of units he will have to replace if you get all those to surrender. At 10 CP's a shot, divisions are not cheap to replace. Not only do they have to be replaced, then you have probably a 3 turn minimum where they come on as shells, start getting equipped and are frozen before you can even think about using them for anything. 5 turns is probably more ideal as a time frame to get them up to speed and be ready for whatever you have in mind. Even if he got started right away at replacing the units you will have destroyed and blew 30 points a turn on forming new units, it will take 10 turns to replace 30 units. 30 Units is probably around the amount of guys you got in one of the mega pockets and you basically had 3 of those easy. We won't mention the absolute strain to his armaments industry trying to come up with all this stuff not to mention all the support units that likely went down as well.

Finally, I would also look for at least a distraction amphib operation in the Crimea from him. He really has nothing to lose and even for a small expenditure of units, he could either draw a big reaction from you or build up to the point as to be a big distraction. Command of the sea is a wonderful thing. [:D]

[fiva55]

Ty for the analysis Klydon.

ORIGINAL: Klydon
Finally, I would also look for at least a distraction amphib operation in the Crimea from him. He really has nothing to lose and even for a small expenditure of units, he could either draw a big reaction from you or build up to the point as to be a big distraction. Command of the sea is a wonderful thing. [:D]

Yeah, I'm pretty certain he will try something like that. I spotted several divisions over there, among them a guard division. They would be pretty wasted if he won't try a amphib op. I will probably detach a corp somewhere and send it to the Crimea. A quick question though, 11th Army is scheduled to withdraw in turn 22, does this mean that only the HQ will withdraw, or the entire army including all corps and divisions? And if so, will detaching the corps and divisions prevent this?

Anyway, here is a front line map with the most current positions of the German and Soviet armies. Might make it easier for people to predict where the Soviets will strike.

[fiva55]

November 1942
Location: Berlin, OKH Headquarters, meeting room

Today, present in this room is the entire leadership of Germany. They have gathered here to discuss the latest report of our Statistics Bureau.

The meeting starts with President Ludwig Beck making a short introduction speech. The people present note that our president is looking surprisingly sombre, despite our great victory during the summer of 1942. Then the reports are being handed out. No sound except for the turning of pages is heard while the generals and politicians start reading.

Suddenly, one of the generals stands up and slams his hand on the table. "Certainly this report is inaccurate. With the losses the Soviets have suffered, how can they still outnumber us 2 to 1 in almost everything!" Sounds of agreement can be heard among the people present.

Our president stands up and starts with a grave tone: "This is reality gentlemen. The report has been verified by our friends from the SS, who made a separate analysis parallel to that of our Statistics Bureau. We must face it, we have severely underestimated the Soviets, and if we aren't careful, it will be our downfall. Our intelligence indicate that the Soviet will launch a major winter offensive soon, one that we must stop while preserving our strength, less we lose in a war of attrition. From now on, the goal will be to bleed the Soviets so much that they will be forced to sue for peace"

Silence once more ensues. Then one of the generals speaks up: "At least we have winter clothing this time....

---------------------------------

A few weeks later, one of our diplomats, who had been send to try to negotiate a armistice with Stalin, returns with the message: "For the crimes against Leningrad and the Soviet Union, there will be no peace until Berlin has been razed to the ground..."

So be it, perhaps the Soviets will be more agreeable once they have to send out their elite party members to the front instead of farmers or when our flag is raised over the Kremlin.

Summary of the report handed out during the meeting

[Klydon]

Incredible. I would have thought you would have bagged over 1 million easy with all those encirclements. Still, you got a net decrease in Russian strength while German strength actually increased. Artillery and planes are fewer, but not by much and tanks actually went up but not by a lot. Looks like its clear he was able to save the vast majority of his armor corps.

To give some perspective on how much it will take him to replace those infantry divisions at 10 a shot, if he does nothing else with 50 command points a turn but rebuild infantry divisions, it will essentially take 30 weeks to replace those divisions. He may be ok on manpower and equipment, but the numbers of units he has is hurting. I would assume his lines up north are a bit thin at this point. Hard to tell how deep they are in terms of units. To me, this should be a bit Axis advantage for a bit as he tries to rebuild his armies.

Certainly this is one of the best alternative 42 campaigns I have seen from the Axis perspective in terms of putting the Russians back on their heels.

[Infanteer]

Dude, you need to write books or something - the flavour you add to this is good....

[fiva55]

Thanks Infanteer for the compliments. I will try to keep this AAR interesting. Screenshots of the game alone are fine, but I think adding pics and a little background story gives the AAR something extra. I understand that some of the readers might find it distracting, but I hope that some of the less hardcore guest visitors of this forum might be tempted to buy the game when they see the game isn't just counters and statistics.

Now back to the game: the mud turns have ended, with not much interesting happening besides clear signs of a major Soviet offensive in the south. With winter having begun this turn, I expect a major offensive in that area at any moment.

Having recently formed a rebuild 1st Panzer Army under von Kleist, I could very well spread my 2 Panzer Armies between Army group central and North, lessening the chance of a Soviet breakthrough. I have decided against that for now, instead adhering to the adage "The best defense is a good offense". I have planned 2 offensives this winter, hoping that it will throw the Soviet plans in disarray and preventing the Soviets from restoring their lost strength.

Troops in the sector of Army Group South enjoying their rest. It has mostly been a quiet summer for them, but we expect that to change soon

[fiva55]

Not only the Soviets have used the mud season as a opportunity to build up forces. Taking advantage of the fact that the Soviets are focusing all their attention in the south, a massive build up of German forces north and south of Kaluga has been achieved relatively unnoticed.

Forces gathered for the Kaluga offensive, moments before the attack