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

[Tarhunnas]

Here is a closeup of the Pskov thrust after Soviet moves. I had to rail in a whole lot of divisions to block the "right hook" though it is really only the one division. It might be a feint, but I can't afford to ignore it. I still insure by making the main line northeast of Pskov strong and backing up with interlocking ZOCs along the Luga.

[TulliusDetritus]

5 points, eh? Alex, the Clockwork Orange... Hi hi hi, my little droogs! [:D]

[TulliusDetritus]

In the Center he is clearly planning a massacre. I smell it [8D]

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus

5 points, eh? Alex, the Clockwork Orange... Hi hi hi, my little droogs! [:D]

Good! You got your 5 points! And after the war we are going to meet in the Korova Molocko Bar!

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus

In the Center he is clearly planning a massacre. I smell it [8D]

Might well be... but the panzers don't look gassed up. And I hope the river will hold him for one more turn. We'll see...

[randallw]

Your opponent isn't very quick about cleaning up your pocketed troops.  Creating more potential trouble for
himself.

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: randallw

Your opponent isn't very quick about cleaning up your pocketed troops.  Creating more potential trouble for
himself.

Yep, I was thinking that myself. Lone isolated divisions allowed to wander about and pocketed troops being able to cut supply lines and interefre with rail converson. I think it is a very offensive minded playstyle, which in a way means that the German army is relying on its own momentum to paralyse the opponent, but when there is sand in the machinery, a lot of little things will go wrong at the same time.

[Sabre21]

Pelton tends to disregard his supply tail. This is his weak link to be sure. If you look at that south screenshot, his units across the Dnepr are most likely drawing supply down that this corridor to Rumania where his nearest rail head is probably 20 hexes away. His other rail head must be coming down thru Rovno based on how all the other lines are cut, which puts it well beyond 25 hexes. So if there is any way to cut that thin corridor, that's where I would look at doing it. If he goes beyond that 25, he must rely on air drops or hq build-up, which in the next patch version he won't be able to do in his current situation.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 6. Overwiew before Soviet moves.

The northernmost panzer thrust is turning into a right hook for sure.

In the central area a minor pocket at Mogilev, but it looks like it can be temporarily broken. Defenses at Dnepr and at the landbridge are pierced. Probably time to pull back a little.

In the South, most of the panzer group is now across the Dnepr. Note the rows of converted hexes in front of some German units. This means they have tried to exploit and turned back! Our counterattacks have made the enemy cautious, which is exactly the desired effect!

[randallw]

Seems some of your opponent's divisions aren't quite on the front line?  There are the areas where he's pushing hard, with the flanks guarded, and that leaves large areas almost untouched.

[Flaviusx]

Put some cav in the Pripyet marshes and raid the hell out of his rear. AGC's southern flank looks completely vulnerable to me. In fact, that area west of Vitebsk also looks kind of juicy, he hasn't even closed up to the Dvina over there. Another good spot for a cavalry raid in my estimation.

Make him start to care about his flanks and communications. He thinks he can just drive deep and narrow and scare you into falling back.

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: Flaviusx

Put some cav in the Pripyet marshes and raid the hell out of his rear. AGC's southern flank looks completely vulnerable to me. In fact, that area west of Vitebsk also looks kind of juicy, he hasn't even closed up to the Dvina over there. Another good spot for a cavalry raid in my estimation.

Make him start to care about his flanks and communications. He thinks he can just drive deep and narrow and scare you into falling back.

Thanks for the tip! I am trying to create all kinds of mischief in these areas. I have even displaced a couple of headquartes, but the opposition has increased flank security over the last couple of turns. Not a bad thing though, my few 1 CV diviisons are tying down a couple of full strenght axis divisons each.

[Tarhunnas]

The south. Another tolchok for the Grossdeutschland!

[Tarhunnas]

The south after Soviet moves. I am pretty certain the circled panzers have been gassed up. I prepare a multi-layer defense to absorb the blow. Industry at Poltava is evacuated, just in case.

[Tarhunnas]

The center after Soviet moves. Circled panzers probably made a buildup. Here I simply haven't got enough troops to make the deep defense I really would want to have. Turn 6 is in my experience a turn of weakness for the Soviets, as there are not many reinforcements coming in. The same goes for turn 11-12 BTW.

Well, the defense I can put up will simply have to do. Industry in Braynsk and Ordzhonikidzegrad has been evacuated, so the consequences of a breakthrough have been mitigated as best as I can.

[Tarhunnas]

This is what I am afraid of - the big pocket in the center. However, I am pretty certain my defense is deep and elastic enough in the south to absorb the blow. At Mogilev I am not so sure, but we'll see...

Anyway, there are only a few scattered divisions left on the west side of the Dnepr, so any pocket will hardly be disastrous.

[Tarhunnas]

Lastly, the north after Soviet moves turn 6. The panzers appear to have opted for the scenic route through the Valdai hills. I am not so worried about that however. I have ample forces in place and the terrain is hardly optimal for panzer breakthroughs. The rough terrain in the area will boost my defense strength nicely. I am not worried in the north (this turn at least).

An infiltrating infantry division managed to reconvert a hex on the axis railroad (X marks the spot on the map). Not that rail converison is the real limiting factor in this area, but it is still nice. That will stop rail conversion for a turn. It is crucial to understand how hex control works, and guard against the wrong hexes being flipped, or conversely, know how to move to create maximum mischief.

[Klydon]

I am guessing he will go for the big pincer to cut off the swamp. He likely won't make it this turn, but will get it moving that way and complete it next turn. He almost has to with the amount of grief you have been giving him on his flanks, etc. He needs to flip all that territory.

PG4 and a big right hook. I think he will likely go east and up through the woods rather than going closer through the swamps. From his standpoint, he figures you won't have any forces in the area to threaten his flanks for a turn, so he can then complete the move the turn after and cut everything out to the west.

I have not seen Pelton that much (Just the other AAR), but he seems to show a pattern of not caring if it takes more than 1 turn to complete an encirclement.

The next couple of turns will either likely result in some big encirclements or his panzers getting cut of and getting into trouble. Perhaps both. [;)]

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: Klydon

I am guessing he will go for the big pincer to cut off the swamp. He likely won't make it this turn, but will get it moving that way and complete it next turn. He almost has to with the amount of grief you have been giving him on his flanks, etc. He needs to flip all that territory.

Probably. But If it takes 2 or 3 turns to complete the encirclement of my 10 divisions in the swamps, I will be rather happy with that.

ORIGINAL: Klydon

PG4 and a big right hook. I think he will likely go east and up through the woods rather than going closer through the swamps. From his standpoint, he figures you won't have any forces in the area to threaten his flanks for a turn, so he can then complete the move the turn after and cut everything out to the west.

I really can't see that succeeding, his forces up there are way too weak to be able to hold the flanks of such a thrust. Maybe I will have to eat my words here, but that is my asessment. We'll see.

ORIGINAL: Klydon

The next couple of turns will either likely result in some big encirclements or his panzers getting cut of and getting into trouble. Perhaps both. [;)]

Yes, it will be an exciting couple of turns, though there is apparently some problem with two frozen Finnish divisions that Pelton wants to clear up. See: tm.asp?m=2816900

[TulliusDetritus]

Tarhunnas, have you thought about Moscow? [X(] The Panzers in the north might turn southeast... It's a possibility. I don't see anything there between Moscow and the fascists [:)] The southern pincer would be the fascist panzers in the center. Maybe I am sniffig a lot of glue, by the way [:D]