How to lose the war - PDH vs Cpt Flam

[PeeDeeAitch]

Lastly, the Stalino front. Here the rebounding German infantry show they still have some muscle. They blow through 3 solid level 3 forts manned by good troops. While this does nothing more than to show that the infantry is still to be feared, it serves a purpose.

[PeeDeeAitch]

All in all, the 3 of 4 snow turns have been good. I created a pocket of perhaps 70-80k troops, and I have disrupted the lines for the mud and coming clear seasons. Furthermore, in the north the Oka will not be a barrier to advances should I choose to do so here. It is clear the panzers are not full strength, but a couple months on the railheads will solve a lot of problems.

[IdahoNYer]

You really have done well! Looks like your in great shape for a "knockout blow" for the summer '42 campaign.

Still thinking of a southern focused attack?

[color]

ORIGINAL: PeeDeeAitch

Oh, and Color? I wasn't totally faithful to your Rubberband notion. But note this, for what it is worth. The 2nd Army and the 6th Army in the Big Empty Middle followed this the most, and they had a far larger "bounce back" of CV than did the 16th and 9th Armies in the north that held the line.

Haven't been on the forums for a while, but that sounds like good news.
The tactic has it's place and time, although I think it might die a quick death with v 1.04, which seems like it will drastically lower damaged elements from blizzard.
Would you say your human opponent made an effort to just infiltrate between your holes in the first line and not attack, trying to trap them for next turn, or did he just do the shovel tactics ? (but failed short of deliberate attacks on the second line)

[Ketza]

ORIGINAL: PeeDeeAitch

I think the T-26 was quite good in its day (it had a good reputation in Spain), and in the end it had sloped turret armor and its gun was good for a lighter tank. It was just long in the tooth in 1941, being basically just an updated Vickers tank, and there wasn't much that could be done. Add in either an atrocious radio or (more likely) no working radio and you get problems...

Only 1 in 10 Soviet tanks had radios. They communicated with flags during battle for the most part.

[PeeDeeAitch]

ORIGINAL: color
Haven't been on the forums for a while, but that sounds like good news.
The tactic has it's place and time, although I think it might die a quick death with v 1.04, which seems like it will drastically lower damaged elements from blizzard.
Would you say your human opponent made an effort to just infiltrate between your holes in the first line and not attack, trying to trap them for next turn, or did he just do the shovel tactics ? (but failed short of deliberate attacks on the second line)

Actually, he tried both. There were turns where I had to extract a unit only one hex (and thus not have the open hex between my lines and his), and he also focused attacks when he could on the front unit. I think that now, and you are right about 1.04 it may well be a whole new affair, given enough space to pull back steadily, it helps a lot.

[PeeDeeAitch]

ORIGINAL: IdahoNYer

You really have done well! Looks like your in great shape for a "knockout blow" for the summer '42 campaign.

Still thinking of a southern focused attack?

I have no idea what in the heck I will do when it clears in 1942. Maybe I will go all out for Siberia.

[PeeDeeAitch]

ORIGINAL: Ketza

ORIGINAL: PeeDeeAitch

I think the T-26 was quite good in its day (it had a good reputation in Spain), and in the end it had sloped turret armor and its gun was good for a lighter tank. It was just long in the tooth in 1941, being basically just an updated Vickers tank, and there wasn't much that could be done. Add in either an atrocious radio or (more likely) no working radio and you get problems...

Only 1 in 10 Soviet tanks had radios. They communicated with flags during battle for the most part.

Indeed, the coordination problems early on led to a lot problems. This is why it is not so good comparing the base tank, but how it was used at the time. A well led and organized (and in communication) unit of "inferior" tanks could do far more than "better" tanks driven into swamps because nobody knows the way and can't communicate.

[PeeDeeAitch]

The last of the snow, and it is a good thing too.

After all the whining and crying about "it is too cold" and "all the soldiers are dying of frostbite" you would think the Germans would have done better in the snow turns. Turns out I have an army of slackers. The first turn saw my encirclement, the rest of the turns just were set ups. I dislike straight lines, and so I made sure there were some good salients for the real warmer weather.

Despite the looks of the picture, I was not trying to encircle the center of the soviet lines, instead my plan was territory and to cross major rivers before the ice melted. Rail lines cross the Oka and Don at the places I crossed, and by summer they will be full supply little islands of happiness that will cause the German army to bleed white trying to break out.

I have decided to attack everywhere in 1942, screw low manpower and the rest.

In the next turns I will post the boring stats again.

[kirkgregerson]

Does anybody have a clue as to what Capt Flam's strategy is? Trying to understand what he is trying to accomplish. Could be he doesn't really have a 'big picture' strategy? I understand it's a game and some people take it a lot more serious as far as planning turns and such. Nothing wrong with just playing to play. Of course, given this approach you'll probably get your ass kicked in most games against people that have good planning and execution. Maybe he's from the camp that believes "having NO strategy is having A strategy".

Just like Bruce Lee's comment about "The Art of Fighting without Fighting".

[Klydon]

He may have some strategy in mind, but has not been able to get it going because PDH remains at least 1 step ahead of him either anticipating what may happen (big snow offensive wrecking most any blizzard offensive plans the Russians may have had) or doing things that the Russians were not expecting at all (big drive to the SE towards the Stalino area seem to catch the Russians napping for instance). 

[PeeDeeAitch]

For the record, I am sick and tired of the old canard "you are doing well because your opponent is awful" followed by "had you played a real player this would not have happened."

The basis of this seems to be the following logic chain: Player A is able to do things that I cannot do --> I am a damn good player, I have read my history, therefore Player A must be playing a weak player.

I admit, I am not the best player. But I have faced broken encirclements, carpet defenses, multiple lines of defense, fall backs, many attacks. I got lucky more than once in recognizing openings, but I have also been stymied in things I wanted to do. That Stalino lunge? I had the 1st and 2nd Panzer Groups ready to attack toward Tula and begin the outflanking of Moscow, but due to an extremely well placed defense that became apparent through air recon, I had no chance to get close. So I struck another way. That way was open because of the defense.

Sometimes, it is about how we react to what is given to us rather than simply stating things are broken or pointing fingers that leads to success.

[Aurelian]

ORIGINAL: PeeDeeAitch

For the record, I am sick and tired of the old canard "you are doing well because your opponent is awful" followed by "had you played a real player this would not have happened."

Yeah. Really no need for that.

[mikemcmann]

Geez....I must be a "bad player" too since yer whopping me pdh!

It couldn't be that you actually have had some well orchestrated attacks and excellent maneuvering. It has to be your opponent is a half wit troll that just smacks the keyboard with his knuckles why drooling on the mouse.........

[PeeDeeAitch]

Mud

In the Fall I hated the mud, in the Spring, the mud is welcomed. My infantry was in bad straights, my tanks broken down, and my planned "March Snow Madness!!!!" game was not a success. Still, ground had been gained, Soviets surrounded, bridgeheads taken. All in all, while it hadn't worked out to plan, the snow season did help.

Here is a map of the front. You will note that I have bridgeheads across the Don and the Oka. Each of these is at least two hexes deep, so there is less of a movement penalty for crossing the river (no ZOC) once the ice cracks.

The astute and thinking reader will note that in the last turn of Snow Cpt Flam came close to pinching off the Oka bridgehead - I had reserves there, but it was a game attempt, and cause me consternation. Mud should make new attacks much harder here, I had to focus 5 divisions in deliberate attacks just to cause retreat to a single division in order to get rid of these incursions - 170 CV to 12 CV initial...but mud make attacks so much harder.

Now that the lines are straight, I expect far fewer problems, I will no longer attack of course, and I don't think he will either.

[PeeDeeAitch]

One other thing to note. The front is not a nice, even one as I have seen in many AARs. I have bulges, salients, and maybe an isthmus in there somewhere. This will make for a more interesting clear season...

[IdahoNYer]

That Tula Salient just BEGs to be encircled once good weather returns!

[PeeDeeAitch]

Now you know why I put so much effort into the major river bridgeheads that had rail lines across...

[sillyflower]

ORIGINAL: mikemcmann

Geez....I must be a "bad player" too since yer whopping me pdh!

It couldn't be that you actually have had some well orchestrated attacks and excellent maneuvering. It has to be your opponent is a half wit troll that just smacks the keyboard with his knuckles why drooling on the mouse.........

He can't be whippin' your ass more than I am Mr McMann!

[PeeDeeAitch]

The problems of spring have been made clear in other AARs. Once the mud clears there are the alternating turns of Clear-Mud...that is to the benefit of the Soviets. I need two things before summer - 1) rested infantry to hold the line and perhaps make spoiling attacks, and 2) not to get tied up in attacks that don't help me.

The German player needs to know that there will be oodles of level 4 forts everywhere, rather than fearing them, be ready to figure out ways to breach them. Whether a carpet or multiple lines, the fighting is far different in 1942 than 1941. I might have pushed my units too hard in the snow turns, and this could harm me in the coming months. We shall see.

I do have one thing on my mind, the cunning and nastiness of age. While that Tula-Voronezh bulge looks ever so inviting, it is also going to have 3 months of buildup to defend. I don't have to attack there, and if my past record is any indication I will attack elsewhere. Panzer Armies don't have to attack the multiple lines of defenses, they can go elsewhere.

I hope summer is rather interesting.