Maybe a New AAR

[JAMiAM]

The big picture in the South. PDH is still driving east with 11th Army, and I've fallen back to the Dnepr River, abandoning the basin entirely. Near Kremenchug, he has breached the Dnepr, and I've launched heavy counterattacks. More details on those, in the next screenshot.

[JAMiAM]

Here is the close-in shot of the action around Kremenchug. Notice the pending change coloration. I've substantially reduced the bridgehead. Not in any real hope of driving him back across the river (though one Motorized Division fled back across), but more so to attrite the exposed mobile units, and reduce their operational maneuver room within the bridgehead.

[JAMiAM]

The big picture in the North. Saving the best for last, since the battles around Leningrad, shown in detail on the next post's shot, are where things came together almost beyond all hope.

[JAMiAM]

The detailed shot of the action around Leningrad.

[JAMiAM]

Finally, the losses/OOB shot. I've got PDH down to fewer than active 1300 AFVs.

[JAMiAM]

Since PDH went ahead and posted two turns of screenshots and commentary, I'll do the same. That way, we stay synchronized...[;)]

This screenshot shows the big picture in the North.

[JAMiAM]

The Center shot

[JAMiAM]

The big picture in the South.

[JAMiAM]

The losses/OOB shot. German active AFV strength is almost the same as last turn. Many of his damaged components are being lost though. This is one reason why I try to keep his mobile force in close contact, or cut off at the end of my turns, so that the damaged pieces are less likely to be repaired in the upcoming logistics phase.

[JAMiAM]

Since we've already finished turn 15, and PDH is clearly falling behind in his propaganda efforts, I'll just have to pick up the slack...[;)]

Turn 11 was the turn that the hammer dropped. In the Center, the long anticipated thrust by 2nd and 3rd Panzer Groups. supported by the 9th and 4th armies ripped a huge hole in the Soviet lines near Vyazma and the Germans poured through. They reached the Volga bend, near Rzhev, and came within 50 miles of Moscow.

Meanwhile, in the Ukraine, AGS, with its weakened 1st Pz Gp, continued to plow northeast out of the bridgehead over the Dnepr. With Moscow in peril, and the Kiev Salient becoming dangerously exposed, it became time to abandon the old city and fall back. My rail lines in the salient were still well protected, and I was able to evacuate two full armies up to the defense of Moscow, and pulled back the rest of SW Front to provide a flanking concern for 1st Pz Gp's schwerpunkt.

In the north, near Leningrad, it was mostly quiet, as 4th Pz Gp was clearly in need of some rest and refitting. Nevertheless, the German Infantry continued to trudge on, gaining a couple more hexes.

This screen shows some detail around the Center, where all hell broke loose.

[JAMiAM]

The shot of the northern area.

[JAMiAM]

This screenshot shows the northern portion of the Ukraine, with the recently abandoned Kiev Salient hanging out like lanced boil on the butt of PDH's schwerpunkt.

Good God! That was a tortured simile...[:D]

[JAMiAM]

Here is the shot of the Southern Ukraine. I've still got some Heavy Industry in D-Town, some Armaments and Heavy Industry in Z-Town. He will probably get adjacent to D-Town next turn, so I figure on losing the 3 HI still left there. He probably won't be able to get next to Z-Town for another turn afterwards, so I hope to be able to evacuate the 4 Arm and HI factories the next turn.

[JAMiAM]

This shot shows the Losses/OOB collage.

[JAMiAM]

This space is intentionally left blank, so that I can edit it at a later date and display a dazzlingly brilliant instance of precognition.

Or not.

[Encircled]

PDH runs his Panzers into the ground. What might seem crippling to us mere mortals if a slight inconvenience to him.[:)]

[Klydon]

Well, to be honest, I think tank attrition for the Germans is up since the last couple of patches. Not saying this is good or bad for the game, just that it appears to be happening. One thing I didn't like, but have not had a chance to follow up on and see is the amount of damage the Russian anti-tank rifles are doing to Pz-III and P-IV. I don't care if it just "damages" them; the issue is I think all damage is treated as the same and not all damaged tanks get fixed. Getting hit by a AT rifle and getting hit by say a 76 mm AT gun are two different things, yet if the tank becomes damaged, the results are the same in the long run. Anti-tank rifles were basically worthless against those types of tanks. (but perfectly fine for shooting up half tracks, Pz-II, etc so they have their uses).

One book I have says the Germans had something like 150 operational tanks on the entire eastern front at the start of March 42. By June, this had swelled to just over 3000. We have not seen anything close to 150 and somehow I suspect that if we did, the Germans are not going to have 3000 tanks come June.

[kevini1000]

I knotice from turn to turn damaged tanks stay with the units and I see none in the repair pools for each tank type. And the Germans only start out building a few tanks a turn anyway.

[Klydon]

The tanks do stay there, but if you look at the event log on each turn, it says how many damage tanks were repaired and how many were not repairable (destroyed). 

[PeeDeeAitch]

Turn 11

Clear again, ominously so. My plans are sort of fixed. Low on time by a couple of turns, and facing JAMs defenses in the way of Moscow, I turn to "Plan 2" which is to use 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Panzer to complete the right hook farther to the east of where it is attempted normally.

The 2nd and 3rd Panzers strike north into virgin territory - I expect JAM to meet this with reserves and such, but this will open up 4th panzer next turn for a strike across the northern Valdai Hills and possibly bagging units but giving me the last few clear turns to reach the Finns. Bold? No, it is really all I can try now.

2nd and 3rd do their jobs - note that Moscow is still threatened, I might as well make it interesting for JAM.