41-45GC:1.05.28 M60A3TTS (Sov) v Pelton (Axis)

[M60A3TTS]

This will be my 6th attempt to get to 1942 as the Soviets. Long-lasting Axis players are hard to come by, although it has little to do with my skill level for sure. [:D]

Turn 1 complete, no great surprises. Firmly sealed pockets and a lot of burned-out airframes. Riga has fallen while Northwest Front has been savaged and Minsk is under siege.

Ground losses start of T1


Air losses


The Red Army starts its move to the east. More details to come...

[M60A3TTS]

Turn 1 indicates that AGC has shed some panzers to support drives north and south. 4. PanzerGruppe is in Riga and has pocketed a good number of troops. 3. PanzerGruppe appears to be positioning itself to assist AG North by driving towards Leningrad to the right of 4. PzGrp. Elements of 2. PanzerGruppe have assisted in sealing the Lvov pocket. In the center, the panzers are adjacent to Minsk and look poised to continue on to the Dnepr. Multiple lines of resistance are set up north and south while Western Front makes a stand on the east bank of the Dnepr. Most Soviet aircraft head for the safety of the National Reserve.

The men in the Lvov and Bialystok pockets, facing certain doom, move to blow up a few German controlled railroads in Poland and East Prussia.

Northern Situation


Center Situation


Southern Situation

[76mm]

Well, I think Pelton has complained that he has a hard time finding Sov players to play into 1942, so this could be a good match! Pelton seems to have a standard playbook, so hopefully you've studied his previous AARs... Best of luck to you!

[M60A3TTS]

He definitely has a game plan and he refines it with every new opponent. So I get a front row view of the best he has to offer. Not sure if that's good or bad for me.

In the north, Hoth's 7th Panzer is over the Velikaya at Ostrov. That's 40 miles south of Pskov. Other elements of 4. PanzerGruppe are headed in the same direction.

In the center to no real surprise, the defensive units covering Mogilev are pushed aside. Lead panzers are also lurking in the direction of Gomel, looking for some easy pickings. Orel Military District has troops deployed there running south of Gomel for 50 miles. Western Front picks up some stragglers from the Pripyat while 24th Army advances to block an easy advance to the Dnepr land bridge.

In the Pripyat, most of the combat units are out. A few straggling airbases along with 4 combat units remain.

South is clearly where the big push is. Guderian can't be too happy having his forces divided up like this, but OKH has its orders. Multiple defense lines go up in the south, but there simply aren't enough units to cover every mile of front in depth. As a result, Odessa and the coastal plains are somewhat vulnerable. Then again, a move there would reduce the chance of forming a substantial pocket.

Air units are returning from the reserve. The 4 BAKs have orders to come together to form a group that will have a good number of SB-2 and IL-4 bombers. They will focus on harassing the enemy spearheads and pull the occasional interdiction mission. Frontal aviation assets get Pe-2s and IL-2s. The fighter force comes back slowly, although without the I-153s or I-15s. Hopefully they will down a few JU-52s that are running the resupply missions. SB-2 recon aircraft are going out to VVS bases in specific locations.

Admin points: Start: 53 End: 17

In the Lvov Pocket, 23rd LW airbase is forced to withdraw by 159th Rifle Division.
21st Army was assigned to the Orel Military District
22nd Army under Vostruhkov was assigned to the Northwest Front
28th Army assigned to Northern Front. I Kachalov replaced by A Vasilevsky. This army will receive the newly formed Leningrad divisions next week.

Railcap: Start: 64893 End: 172

Arms moves (7)
3 arms factories from Kiev to Molotov
3 arms factories from Kirovograd to Molotov
1 arms factories from Gomel to Molotov

Northern Situation


Northwest Front


Center Situation


Southwestern and Southern Fronts

[M60A3TTS]

ok, the last map doesn't do a whole lot. Will someone tell me how to make the big maps appear bigger?

[BletchleyGeek]

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS

He definitely has a game plan and he refines it with every new opponent. So I get a front row view of the best he has to offer. Not sure if that's good or bad for me.

I think it'll be good for you. "Good" as in "having fun" and as in "learning something you didn't know previously".

Re: image sizes, it depends on where are you hosting them. I use imageshack and they have an option to avoid scaling images. Probably photobucket offers the same (or similar) option.

[M60A3TTS]

I use photobucket. I'll see if I can find that option. Thanks B-G.

[M60A3TTS]

On the road to Leningrad, two panzerkorps are at the gates of Pskov. German infantry continues to follow along in their wake. There is no real attempt in that area to push east at this time. In another two weeks, the enemy may be at the gates of Leningrad without a significant influx of new troops.

In the center, the panzer spearheads have disappeared and only one motorized unit can be detected. 20th Army has moved forward to close the gap between Vitebsk and the Dnepr Bend. Until Leningrad is resolved, the German center will likely not be the scene of a major breakthrough.

Panzers in the south broke through defenses to the east, and also drove all the way to Nikolaev and cutting off Odessa, for 6 arms factories. Defensive lines were reestablished while six divisions moved in and adjacent to Dnepropetrovsk with its 8 remaining arms factories. The combined force of this group: over 61,000 men, 500 artillery, and 1,280 tanks. It is also backed up by the aircraft of nearby BAKs and Southern Front Air Command.

Several armies have mobilized in the Moscow region and have begun marching towards the enemy.

Admin Points: Start:67 End:0
Overall, the Red Army has a considerable amount of reorganization to do as it divests itself of the Corps HQ structure. New leadership is also going to be needed in places.

Railcap: Start: 141203 End: 488

Arms factory moves (21)
3 from Krivoi Rog to Molotov
4 from Zaporozhye to Molotov
2 from Kerch to Molotov
1 from Gomel to Molotov
1 from Kiev to Molotov
2 from Kremenchug to Molotov
8 from Dnepropetrovsk

I pushed the factory evacuations hard. Yes, the small ones are going ahead of the big ones and is a risk. I understand the argument for pulling the big ones first. But just maybe I can make this work to my advantage. If he wants to try and lock down the 8 arms in Dnepropetrovsk, he'll have to fight for it. The 19th Army is waiting.

A fort was built in Moscow and 3 divisions occupy the city. [;)]

Airpower:
Ground strikes concentrated on 3 targets
3 air attacks on 13th Panzer Div in the south
18 air attacks on SS Wiking Mot Div in the south
2 air attacks on 1/7/8 Panzer Divs in the north

And a message from Pelton: "Your games very similar to Flaviusx."
I guess he means that I have no imagination and am just copying his moves. Hey, is it my fault the rivers and towns on my map are the same as his? [;)]


Northern Situation


Western Front and Vitebsk


Cherkassy


Odessa and Nikolaev


Defense of Dnepropetrovsk

[Klydon]

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS

And a message from Pelton: "Your games very similar to Flaviusx."
I guess he means that I have no imagination and am just copying his moves. Hey, is it my fault the rivers and towns on my map are the same as his? [;)]

Honestly, I would take that as a complement. Pelton has given praise to Flaviusx repeatedly in their game.

[Flaviusx]

Actually, M60 is doing a number of things very differently than me. Not better or worse, just different. Evacs, defense of Leningrad, etc.

I think Pelton made a mistake splitting up the AGS armor the way he did and sending a significant chunk of it raiding to Nikolaev (and getting isolated.) If he had kept it concentrated he'd be in a position to perhaps force a crossing of the Dnepr and threaten Poltava.

[BletchleyGeek]

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS
I pushed the factory evacuations hard. Yes, the small ones are going ahead of the big ones and is a risk. I understand the argument for pulling the big ones first. But just maybe I can make this work to my advantage. If he wants to try and lock down the 8 arms in Dnepropetrovsk, he'll have to fight for it. The 19th Army is waiting.

That's actually a sound plan. I'd however try to "camouflage" 19th Army, they need to be sitting around Dnepropetrovsk the turn before Pelton strikes.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: Bletchley_Geek
That's actually a sound plan. I'd however try to "camouflage" 19th Army...

I'm not sure I understand what you mean when you say "camoflage" the 19th Army. Camoflage them how?

[Ketza]

I like to hide units under airbases and HQs!

[M60A3TTS]

Pelton is away for the weekend, so I have extra time to work through the next turn. For the moment, I'll just show the northern situation.

8th Panzer is within 80 miles of Leningrad. It is also the same distance from the crucial rail line at Mga.

I have to make a decision whether to take the KV factories out now, which would seem to be the case, and how much to evacuate of the 32 available.

The 7 arms of Vsevolzhysky are already on their way to Molotov. The 8 arms of Leningrad are still in place. Railcap close to 94k.

I could try to make a fight of it at Mga for one turn to maximize getting KV factories out now, and the arms the following week, which would almost certainly be their last chance.

His infantry is still two weeks away from being engaged in the area it appears, so I would anticipate having to drive back 3, maybe 2 panzer divisions at Mga. The other option to consider is taking out the arms at Leningrad now, along with just one tank factory. But my belief is that will result in him immediately sending the 5 panzer divisions out on rails to join the battle in the center, seeing the industrial prize at Leningrad permanently out of reach.

At the moment, I'm inclined to commit Vasilevsky's 28th army to meet the panzers at Mga next week. His spearhead looks low on gas, but I don't think that has any real significance at this stage. Any opinions out there?

[Flaviusx]

M60, my own view is that this precisely a good reason to get the Leningrad factories out.

Firstly, he wastes time redeploying the panzers. PG4 will be out of action for a turn or two. Secondly it stabilizes the line up north where it is at. This vastly simplifies your entire defensive situation when a good third of the front is static. Once the panzers are gone you can even selectively counterattack up in the north. Or start stripping it of formation to reinforce hot spots elsewhere. Leningrad, rather than becoming a constant drain on reinforcements -- what arrives there just isn't enough to manage the place if the German is seriously driving on it -- actually turns into a bank for the Red Army.

I very much believe that the German has to threaten all three parts of the front to really stretch the Red Army and create a true crisis for it. Merely concentrating all the panzers in the south isn't going to do it. (So long as you manage your evacuations correctly down there.) The Wehrmacht, if used correctly, is completely capable of making the historical southern advance, while at the same time taking Leningrad, and even doing very well in the center.

All that being said, I think the time to get the Leningrad factories out is on turn 3 given the way Pelton plays. Then, you can focus all your rail cap on the south. In this game that sequence is no longer available and railing out the Leningrad factories will possibly place something in the south at risk given his raiding style.

He is all about the factory raid (and the abuse of HQ buildups to do same.) So the key is to arrange matters such that he is chasing after a will 'o the wisp and switching from one objective to another. You're the road runner here, and he's Wiley Coyote.

[M60A3TTS]

This is the starting center situation and I tried to piece together a picture of how he has 3. PanzerGruppe minus the two panzer divs. committed to Leningrad. I suspect a corps HQ buildup may be in the offing, with an attempt to rush the land bridge or head for Moscow. He likely has 2. PanzerGruppe (-) and 4. Armee ready to cross over the Dnepr just to the south, possibly threatening to isolate part of Western Front.

[M60A3TTS]

This is now how the southern area looks where 2. PzGrp and SS units were previously on T3. Some movement east but no attempt to breach the Dnepr. 1 PzGrp that raided Nikolaev has gassed up the panzers enough to get them out of the red.



As in the center, it seems very likely that he'll work to force his way across the Dnepr next week. All arms factories are now out of D-Z towns.

[M60A3TTS]

Week 5-

In the north, the Axis forces had little difficulty sweeping aside the defenses of the Luga River, and the succeeding lines further back. The rail line to Leningrad was successfully cut by the German spearhead. In response, 1st Panzer and SS Totenkopf were cut off from behind and the Red Air Force conducted 25 bombing missions before an attack was launched by Vasilevsky’s 28th Army. Despite vast superiority in numbers coupled with the strong hope for victory, the Red Army failed to dislodge the enemy.




In the center, Rokossovsky's 24th Army is roughly handled, with 6 panzer and two motorized divisions from 2nd and 3rd PanzerGruppe identified north and west of Smolensk. No attempt was made to cross the Dnepr.




In the south, the Axis forces crossed over the Dnepr and slashed their way forward, cutting off rail access into and out of Poltava. This now threatens both Kharkov and the Donbass.

[Richard III]

Excellent AAR for this new guy. Any chance for a pic of the full map please to see the strategic overview ?

A comment if I might: That battle result on T 5 south of Leningrad seems extraordinary as far as your losses by any game standards IMHO . Attacking with 13 Divs ( I assume ? )

They are isolated but "Hold" and you get losses of over 10-1 in men and Guns and 5-1 in AFV`s. That doesn`t seem to encourage a forward defense or counterattacks by the Red Army players.....

[M60A3TTS]

I will get a full map posted after I reform the lines. His latest advances center and south means I have to look at the best way to pull back fast. Otherwise I risk being gobbled up into some sizeable pockets.

As far as the attack went, it was close, just wasn't enough, even at about 4-1 in men almost 6-1 in artillery, ground and air support and a solid leader. Alexandr Vasilevsky is no slouch. But it's week 5 and these are the sort of results that the Soviets have to deal with and move on.