1.04 The Wolf and the Bear (no Gids)

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 114. August 19 1943.

The Soviets are continuing to attack along most of the southern front. North of Boguchar there is a substantial tank thrust.

[Tarhunnas]

Counterstrikes manage to blunt the Soviet spearheads. Here are losses after the Axis turn.

[Tarhunnas]

In the north, everything is quiet. The Polizei division manage to take a break from the boredom of the front and relax with some good old fashioned police work - hunting partisans. They can still march back before the Soviets even notice they have been gone from the front.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 115. August 26 1943.

Another wave of Soviet attacks hit the southern front. No serious breakthroughs though, and manageable losses.

The first step of the staged retreat to a shorter front is performed northeast of Rostov.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 116. September 2 1943. Clear.

Map of Soviet attacks hitting the central sector of the front.

[Tarhunnas]

An Hungarian corps has been cut off north of Boguchar, but they should be relatively easy to save. Soviet tank corps are easy to shift.

[Tarhunnas]

After Axis moves. The Soviet penetration at Boguchar has been severely mauled. I do not attempt to keep them isolated, but surround them and rout them out instead.

East of Voroshilovgrad another stage in the phased withdrawal has been performed.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 117. September 9 1943.

Nothing dramatic happening. Continuing Soviet attacks along the southern front. Another withdrawal in front of Voronezh to defensive positions behind the Don.

[Tarhunnas]

OOB Turn 117. The strange thing is that the Soviets are not all that strong, but I am still under considerable pressure along the southern front and can barely keep my positions.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 118. September 16 1943.

A veritable deluge of Soviet attacks leave the Totenkopf and some other divisions surrounded. Happily, the LVII Panzer Corps has just been brought in to the area, and is ready for a relief operation.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 119. September 23 1943.

Nothing dramatic happening. The Soviets are attacking our new lines, and take a hex here and there, but are pushed back by counterattacks. An unlucky Hungarian division is slow to retreat near Boguchar... Overview of the southern part of the front after Axis moves.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 120.

The Axis forces are getting weaker. Lots of unready units and generally depressing. I try to shift units in and out of the more quiet northern front. Not much to show a screenshot of.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 121. October 7 1943.

Strong Soviet attacks between Voronezh and Boguchar make progress but no breakthroughs.

[kirkgregerson]

ORIGINAL: Tarhunnas

Turn 102. May 27 1943. Mostly mud.

2d Panzer army is regrouping to the Tula area, fresh from its Crimean victory. OKH has developed a plan for the summer offensive 1943. If we can cut of the Soviet bulge southwest of Ryazan, we can trap some Soviet units and then anchor the front on the river Oka and establish a shorter front (shown in yellow below. Eliminating a suitable bulge somehow seems like an appropriate plan for the 1943 summer offensive.

I'm confused and a little concerned. Turn 102 in my game is clear and by rules should be since it's 5/27/43. Rules state between May1 and June19 all odd days are clear. Thus, makes sense that turn 103 was clear for you since it was 6/3/43. So there should be two clear turns with 102 and 103 since they both happen to fall on odd days. I'm going to be unhappy if turn 103 is mud for me, since it will ruin some of my attacks and maybe trap units of mine. Did you report this as a bug at that time? Seems like it must be fixed in the version I have.

[Q-Ball]

They are playing random weather

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 122. October 14 1943. Mud.

A lucky spell of mud brings quiet to the eastern front. Upgraded to 1.05, but no apparent changes this turn. Don't really know what I expected, maybe my CV:s suddenly boosted by hordes of eager Hiwis joining my units? Perhaps it doesn't show beacuse of the mud... [;)]

Map of southern part of front after Axis moves.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 123. Mud again. Nothing special to report.

[karonagames]

I'd be interested to see how many hiwi's get produced, and how much manpower becomes available for combat units.

Hiwis are going to be an interesting aspect of the metagame ( hate the term). I think you are going to get back to roughly the historical benchmark for the OOB, and his pressure will ease a bit with the removal of +1.

I still think you have a good chance of a minor victory.

[Flaviusx]

Good chance, hell. He's got it in the bag and has had it for quite some time. The Soviet will be lucky to hit the prewar border by 1945.

[PeeDeeAitch]

The Hiwis will help. I got several hundred thousand in my losing game with the update right at the beginning of 1943. I saw a goodly jump in manpower the first two turns. Still, having had those guys in the bank back in 1942 would have helped more... [:)]