How to lose the war - PDH vs Cpt Flam

[PeeDeeAitch]

One last shot - OOB, turn 60. Note that the Red Army is still only at 4.2 million.

[PeeDeeAitch]

A note on my summer strategy, now that the offensive has begun.

I had all four panzer armies together, as I had shown. Again, my concentration of force was such that I could strike along any of four axes (or multiple). I chose to do the deep strike, through the center (one place I hadn't shown arrows...) with 3 of the four armies. The initial advance breached the lines, though not too much more. Defenses, even as worn as they were, almost held me.

Turn two of the offensive saw Cpt Flam pulling back from both sides of the new bulge, and setting up lines in front. These could not be as strong or dug in, and due to the proximity of railheads, turns 2 and three of the attack saw enough fuel for the tanks. I have begun a right hook toward Stalingrad, though I could have done a left to Gorky...ah, sweet Gorky...

I have said this time and time again, one of the keys to success as the Germans is to present your opponent with multiple options you can choose - if one is taken away, choose another. You do not need to follow a rigid plan, and if the Red Army is hurt enough you will be able to ensure your opponent is not strong everywhere.

[76mm]

ORIGINAL: PeeDeeAitch
I have said this time and time again, one of the keys to success as the Germans is to present your opponent with multiple options you can choose - if one is taken away, choose another. You do not need to follow a rigid plan, and if the Red Army is hurt enough you will be able to ensure your opponent is not strong everywhere.

That's crazy talk! Ze Germans must stick to ze plan!

[Mynok]

And to change ze plan!

[randallw]

That hex with the Guards Rifle Corps actually had a stack; the unit on the bottom, if a division perhaps had a CV of 3 so the corps was perhaps at 12 and not 15.

[horza66]

ORIGINAL: PeeDeeAitch

A bad sign.

The summer offensive plows along, railheads close to the advances mean further bounds by the tanks (thought their morale is lower than in the previous year, having 3 of the 4 panzer armies cutting swaths to the Volga means they move fast).

Still, a worrisome appearance this turn - a guards corps...stronger than any division I have. Urk
(note the promised rhombus)

I've had quite a few of these GRCs with ridiculous CVs as a Soviet player (20+ !). They are not all they appear. Whenever there's an upgrade to Rifle Squad TOE, and there are replacements available, the GRCs get a full complement of the new TOE squads while retaining the old. Double the squads, double the fun. Of course the old squads are never replaced and will eventually attrit away, but these are great units for an offensive until they get all used up.

NB The base value of the GRC has to be reasonably high to start with (Exp ~60) to produce a CV that high, so it is a bad sign, just not quite as bad as it might appear.

[cpt flam]

this GRC was 113 per cent before attacking the pile (Pz +Moto) which retreated
actually giving ground to escape the pocket
for info 8 Guard airbases

[PeeDeeAitch]

1942, the year of Wreckin' -ing.

Well, sort of a pocket closed. A last gasp by the 3, yes 3 panzer armies barely manages to get halfway across the gap - the 17th Army lunges the rest of the way. My fortunes rest on a tired mountain division and the firepower of this fully armed and operational Romanian tank division!

Still, mid august and I need to rest after this. Stalingrad is in sight, but panzers at 3 CV are not good for playing with - one near routed panzer unit is at 1CV...erp.

Still, a good season so far.

[wac29]

Nice job using all the rivers to help keep the pocket closed.

Those 3CV panzers are still threatening for exploitation.

[76mm]

Gee, another pocket! Never saw that one coming...

[PeeDeeAitch]

I caught the guys that couldn't get out. I always make sure when pockets are forming to be in contact with the gentlemen so the can't get as far. Big pockets means lots of MP to escape, and that contact can provide the extra bit.

I don't like little pockets, because they always get broken and I lose out encirclements.

[randallw]

Is that Romanian tank division receiving replacement tanks?

[PeeDeeAitch]

Well, no. Not really. They haven't done too much though either. They cut off a few units, lost a few in combat, and wintered in Dnepropetrovsk. Thus they are the power that you see now.

-edit- now if they filled up with 20 or so T-34s...

[randallw]

I believe a patch was supposed to fix them so they could receive the crappy light tank the Romanians build.

[cpt flam]

the "pocket" receive supply through a "shoestring" [:D]
manage to retreat the mountain,Rum Arm,anSS & an Italian in this sector [;)]
got 2 new corps (one over there)

[PeeDeeAitch]

I think if I can keep this pocket closed (and that is a big if, the first time it was blown through right where I feared, the Mountain and the Romanian), then the Red Army might be on the ropes. Not to be knocked out, but not strong enough for the rest of the 1942 to fend off what I want to do. I have a massive central bulge to the Volga, tired tanks (they will need 3-4 weeks to rest), and infantry running up. Any place that the Soviets can be attacked from three hexes, I can move him back - except in the north where the 9th army and 16th army are resting in the woods beyond Moscow.

Some targets he will have to defend, so I will have to slice out terrain elsewhere. Right now I have some units, rails almost to the front again, and sweet, sweet momentum.

I really would like to win a GC in PBEM. Dunno if it will happen, but it would be fun.

[PeeDeeAitch]

As the power of the tanks winds down in summer of 1942, I need to set goals. First, I want to lose 10 lbs by December. Second, I want to rest up the weary infantry, tanks, and bicycle troops for winter offensives. Thirsd, I would like some sort of semblance of lines for the armies.

With that in mind, totally off the cuff and making this up as I go along, I have drawn these lines as the end point for the southern advance in clear weather of 1942.

The Yellow Line is to be the defensive line, somewhat following the Don-Volga. The Tanks in one last great attempt at encirclement will surround and isolate Stalingrad. The infantry will slog up and take up the lines. From north to south: 2nd Army (already on the Don but spread out), the 6th, the 17th, and the 11th (by winter no longer an army as the 11th goes away).

The tanks can pull back to the rails to rest for the winter offensives. The rivers will secure the lines until freeze, and then they will not be in the way as the tanks head for Baku in winter of 1942-43.

Here is the spiffy map.

(note - none of this may have anything to do with reality. I just like making maps and showing off what is brewing in my febrile mind)

[PeeDeeAitch]

As of now I can't end a turn without crashing (in this game only). I expect it is the ghost of Stalin keeping me from completing my victory.

Oh well, it would have been nice to be the first to actually win a game in an AAR.

[randallw]

Does cpt flam have the update too?

[cpt flam]

yes up to 1.04.10 for the moment send