The East is Red III - Pelton vs Tarhunnas (no Pelton please)

[Klydon]

Very nice job! I am not a huge fan of running a pile of regiments around masses of Russians in open terrain. They are just asking to get spanked. The other thing that will help you is those infantry divisions don't get a free ride to the front. They get to march through Russian controlled territory part of the way, which will slow them down quite a bit.

He might get some encirclements closed, but even if he does, there isn't a ton he will catch.

If he keeps going this way, I smell a panzer division or two going up in flames. [:D]

[Manstein63]

I might be wrong but I can see another reason for advancing on a narrow front as it might optomise rail hex conversion. Nice shot of the Kiev thrust looks similar to XXXth corps advance on Arnhem with the Germans deperately trying to cut the road. Methinks that Pelton may have to rethink his stratagy. he reminds me of a chess player that will not respond to his opponents moves until he has completed his opening moves. of course the other side is that he is trying to get you to commit more & more units & then when he has enough he cuts them off & drives unhindered to Moscow & points east.
Manstein63

[Sabre21]

Pelton does seem to like the armored thrust approach used in conjunction with Hq build-ups. About 2 years ago Trey used the same tactics on me during testing when I played the Soviets to no avail in the south although he did manage to get adjacent to Leningrad that way. There was no hq build-up in those days though.

Infiltration, tarbaby, and attcking the weakened units is the best defense the Soviets can use in the opening months of the 41 game. Tarhunnas is playing it well. I would get some cavalry units moved in as close to these break thrus as possible and use their extra movement to cut off the panzers. Remember, if you can take control of the 6 hexes around a unit and then force it to retreat, it will rout instead. I've routed many a panzer divisions that way.

By the way, rules for Hq build-up are changing. What Pelton is doing will still be possible but more difficult since he won't be able to use a build-up more than 20 movement points from a railhead.

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: Manstein63

I might be wrong but I can see another reason for advancing on a narrow front as it might optomise rail hex conversion.

As a matter of fact, I have been able to infiltrate close to the border and mess up the rail conversion. As you can see on the left edge of the map in post #45, there is a Soviet division next to Brest Litovsk that just happened to walk out of the swamp and onto the rail line.

The railheads at Brest Litovsk and Lvov are still at the border on turn 3. I expect that will have rather large consequences for German supply over time.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 4. Front before Soviet moves after recon. Not much forward movement at Kiev and in Byelorussia. The panzers in the Gomel thrust are in the green however, so I suspect they have been gassed up. (I really think it is a bit unrealistic that Soviet intelligence agents are apparently able to sneak around the panzer encampments at night and measure the level in the gas tanks).

A nasty thrust at Pskov however, I really thought I had squashed them so they would have been stuck at Pskov for one turn more.

Time difference is not bad actually. Pelton does his turn while I sleep. I can then study it in the morning, put a map in the AAR, and think about it at work. Then I do my turn in the evening when I get home.

[Tarhunnas]

Here are losses and OOB at the start of Soviet turn 4.

[Tarhunnas]

It is interesting to compare these with losses and OOB for the same turn in my game against Gids where I play the Axis. I used a more broad advance that was more encirclement-oriented. As can be seen, losses in the game against Pelton is somewhat lighter for the Soviets and somewhat heavier for the Axis. It is still very early of course, but it seems logical that the narrow thrust approach inflicts fewer casualties but gains more ground. That might well change of course, if there is a mega-pocket (*shudder*). These are losses after German turn 4, so should be comparable to the numbers above.

[Titan]

That reflects on the two different styles i would think

[fiva55]

ORIGINAL: Tarhunnas
As a matter of fact, I have been able to infiltrate close to the border and mess up the rail conversion. As you can see on the left edge of the map in post #45, there is a Soviet division next to Brest Litovsk that just happened to walk out of the swamp and onto the rail line.

The railheads at Brest Litovsk and Lvov are still at the border on turn 3. I expect that will have rather large consequences for German supply over time.

Although he still has the Kaunus-Vilnius Line to supply AGC, cutting that line should have consequences for the German advance on the long run.

To prevent situations like that, it is always wise to send at least some troops into the marshes to clear it out.

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: fiva55
Although he still has the Kaunus-Vilnius Line to supply AGC, cutting that line should have consequences for the German advance on the long run.

Ehm... progress on the Kaunas-Vilnius line is not as good as it should. Shot from start of Soviet turn 3.

[Tarhunnas]

In the south, another lesson for the Lehr Brigade! This also punches a supply route to the encircled units around Vinnitsa.

[Tarhunnas]

And the South after Soviet moves. Note that I succeeded in infiltrating a cavalry unit from the swamps, which meets a tank division from the Vinnitsa pocket, and so most of AGS is now cut off. Temporarily, but still, it will have long term effects for their supply. I am amazed that I am allowed to do this, the Axis strategy must be very offensive minded and not care overly much about flanks and such.

On the East side of the Dnepr, there is now a substantial mass of Soviet units. I try to counterattack one of the Panzer divisions across the river, but i get a HOLD. At least it should force them to use some ammo and fuel I hope.

[Tarhunnas]

The Mogilev sector after Soviet moves. I am pretty sure he has made a buildup here. I checkerboard in multiple lines, aided by rivers. Hope it is enough...

[Tarhunnas]

And the north-center, after Soviet moves turn 4.

I do all I can to tar-baby the Pskov breakthrough and at the same time put troops on the Luga.

[Encircled]

Is he air supplying his panzers as well?

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: Encircled

Is he air supplying his panzers as well?

Yep, reguarly. You can see that in Post #59.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 5. Overview of front, after recon but before Soviet Moves.

The Leningrad thrust has changed direction and is now aiming for a right hook. A little unbalancing for me but I think I will be able to handle it. In a way, its encouraging, as the enemy is now forced to react to my moves and not the other way around.

In the center, Pg3 is still stalled at the landbridge and Pg2 broke through to but not over the Dnepr, which is excellent! It will take them another turn to get over the river when I have a full defence in place.

Down south, the Vinnitsa pocket is now thoroughly sealed, but the Kiev thrust is not progressing very much.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 5. A good tolchok for the 16th panzer! Nothing like a bit of the old ultra violence to make the Germans a little more cautious. (5 points for whoever recognises the reference).

[Tarhunnas]

Sothern front after Soviet moves turn 5. The Vinnitsa pocket cannot be broken. It seems the Germans are paying a lot more attention to flanks and such now. Not much to do exept concentrate 2-3 lines around the panzer spearhead and checkerboard the rest.

[Tarhunnas]

Central front after Soviet moves. I expect the Dnepr to hold them for one more turn. I am weak north of Vitebsk, but one has to be weak somewhere. It's a juggling act for the Soviets at this time.