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

[M60A3TTS]

ORIGINAL: Flaviusx
If you've gotten your industry out -- and you should have by this time -- there's no point whatsoever hanging out anywhere west of this line. You can pretty much rely on him having something on buildup each and every turn if it is in range to do so.

Pelton has 34 arms destroyed with 15 up for grabs and no more than 4 in any one city, although I am not including Moscow. I don't expect to have to evacuate anything there just yet. This last turn with little between him and Voronezh, it was necessary to pack up the IL-2 factories lock stock and barrel along with the 3 arms there. So depending what troop requirements are on the rail system next turn, I may close out the arms moves next turn. Then I have 100% rail capacity available to move troops about.

[M60A3TTS]

Week 11 Situation

Northern Front has no activity reported. Finnish units are south of Leningrad, but there is no attempt to close up and make contact. Our westernmost units of the front are only forty miles east of Lake Ladoga.

Northwest Front deploys the six divisions of 27th Army on the northern portion of the Valdai Hills while 8th Army’s six divisions hold the southern portion. 11th Army has two of its divisions surrounded fifty miles east of Velikie Luki. The remaining five rifle and one cavalry division deploy in the vicinity of the Volga River. Vostruhkov’s 22nd Army with seven rifle and one cavalry division are in the same general area northwest of Rzhev.

This is the general situation along the two fronts.


In a major engagement, 20th Army of Reserve Front attacks 20 miles south of Borodino and hurls back 14th, 20th and 29th Motorized Divisions. The German forces at the Rzhev-Kaluga Line have been struggling to make headway against the several armies arrayed against it.


Western and Bryansk Fronts are forward of the Oka but will likely have to withdraw again to the east, likely giving up Orel.

Southwest front is now firmly pocketed. The Axis advance now targets the 16th and 38th STAVKA Armies, trying to cut them off. The two armies will have to cross over the Krasnaya River while others will also be hindered by having to cross the Oskol.


Still, attacks continue.


Southern Front continues to maintain a tenuous hold on Stalino. Attacks take place there too.


Administrative notes:
T. Khryukin (Air Value 6) replaces I. Zatevakhin as commander of the Western Air Command.
G. Zhakarov takes command of 48th Army.
28 IL-2 factories are moved from Voronezh to Kirov.
3 arms from Voronezh to Nizhny Tagil
1 arms from Lipetsk to Nizhny Tagil

Air war update:
Since the initial attack of 22 June, Soviet air losses are 3581. German losses are 1310. Ratio of 2.7 to 1.

[Ketza]

Wow that air loss ratio is pretty amazing.

[M60A3TTS]

This shows some basic air info I am keeping track of. Note that the fronts at and around Moscow contain half the Frontal Aviation assets of the Red Air Force.

[M60A3TTS]

It looks like barring a sudden collapse around Moscow, Pelton will end up with 38 arms captured. Of the 200 identified as "at risk" excluding Moscow, only 6 remain at the end of week 12. The ones in red are the ones he captured, that is 34 of the 40 remaining. The other 4 were at Minsk that I wrote off at the beginning.

[BletchleyGeek]

You've done really well with the Factory evacuation. Also kudos for tracking all those stats, they really help one to get a hold on certain things which are not evident on the UI.

And congratulations with your attacks, these are a huge morale boost when things go sour Though I wouldn't have done that attack south of Stalino, I'd have sent more troops to parry the motorized divisions north of that city.

[Flaviusx]

Yes, that is a near perfect evac.

Am also doubting the wisdom of hanging on near Stalino. Southern Front's position there looks untenable to me. OTOH, his panzers look very tired, and it may be best to bait him south rather than him turning them north towards Moscow.

[M60A3TTS]

With the arrival of September the Axis has Leningrad, the armaments game has played out, and their territorial gains are as large as might be expected.  Still, indications are that Der Fuhrer indeed has his gaze now on Moscow.  Panzer and motorized forces are assembling and moving against Northwest and Bryansk Fronts.  With five weeks before the rasputitsa, the Germans are facing the prospect of more heavy fighting on the road to Moscow which will further deplete the very troops he will need in reserve come winter.  

[M60A3TTS]

As September begins, German troops engage elements of Northwest Front west of the Volga forcing numerous retreats. The Soviet units pull back to the east bank. Motorized and panzer troops are concentrated in the area. Along the Rzhev-Kaluga line it is essentially a stand-off.


East of Orel, another concentration of panzer and motorized troops engage elements of Bryansk Front in several battles.


In the south, a series of battles results in Axis forces pushing the Soviets back north and south of Stalino. The city has been reluctantly given up. Italian airbases seem to be positioning themselves on what may be a winter defense line for Axis forces.


Only two ground attacks were launched this week by the Red Army. One was successful.

Administrative notes:
54th and 55th Armies, each with nine cavalry divisions are organized under Pavel Rybalko and Vasily Volsky.
52nd Army with twelve tank brigades and 6 depleted rifle divisions is organized under Yuri Novoselsky. Only three tank brigades are in a ready state.
91st Rifle Division is renamed 1st Guards Rifle Division.

Arms evacuations
3 arms from Kalinin to Nizhny Tagil
4 arms from Tula to Nizhny Tagil
2 arms from Lipetsk to Nizhny Tagil

Air Results:
105 ground bombing sorties launched, causing an estimated 300 casualties

[BletchleyGeek]

Why are you grouping the cavalry like that? Do you have some supply line raiding in mind?

[Flaviusx]

Andy used to do this with the cavalry during the blizzard, but I frankly do not favor the practice. My own view is to spread it out and give many armies some cavalry support, rather than concentrate the cavalry in one army. They are maneuver units, not shock units, and can exploit gaps, not create them. They work best in conjunction with rifle units.

I've also ditched the cavalry shock army concept for that reason. Not a terribly effective use of the shock bonus.

My standard army package at this stage will consist of 9 rifle divisions, 2 tank brigades, one cavalry corps. (Or 2 cavalry divisions pre blizzard.)

[M60A3TTS]

The cavalry will still have the same exploitation mission and leave the breakthrough mission to the infantry. Their role as an army is more to support front-level operations rather than army level. I can see advantages in both directions. I had thought at first that a shock army would be good, but have since discarded the idea after seeing how low the CVs were in several attacks. Talk about shock, I need to figure how to get these guys into action soonest.

[gingerbread]

You should consider to park 1st Tank somewhere safe but useful, like Voronesh or Tula, with supporting infantry. There is almost a tank corps full allotment of vehicles in it. No point in actively seeking the unpleasant experience of having 350+ obsolete tanks crushed and losing over 1000, possibly 2000 vehicles in the bargain. If you have other tank divs with 2000 or even 1500 vehicles, protect them as well.

[Q-Ball]

Actually, I wouldn't save that Tank Div, I would go ahead and commit it to battle somewhere.

There's a good chance though that Tank Div will turn into a Tank Bde, and start shedding vehicles. I had 2 Tank Divisions left by the Blizzard, and they both converted early-on.

Also, that unit's CV is inflated by the large number of tanks in it. But aside from the 8 KV-1s it has, the remaining 350-odd tanks it has are garbage. The first serious combat, you will lose like 200+ of those tanks.

This unit is a one-shot deal, you may as well get your shot in before those tanks just go back into the pool for scrap

The units to save, IMO, are the Cav Divisions. Park them somewhere safe to build Morale and Experience

[BletchleyGeek]

ORIGINAL: Flaviusx
My standard army package at this stage will consist of 9 rifle divisions, 2 tank brigades, one cavalry corps. (Or 2 cavalry divisions pre blizzard.)

Very similar to mine, though I keep less Rifle Divisions in there. I always like to leave some room in the Command Capacity, just in case.

[M60A3TTS]

Week 13- 11.9.41

The second week of September is not a good one for the Red Army as Northwest Front reports 7 rifle divisions and 2 rifle brigades of 8th and 27th Armies are pocketed east of the Valdai Hills. An attempt to break out of the pocket fails.


In the Orel sector, German armor pushes northeast towards Tula. This could represent an attempt to encircle Moscow, but the Germans are still straining to keep their units fueled. If this is an attempt to take Moscow, it will likely have to be done in winter. A series of four fortified regions is created from Tula to the east.


Between Kharkov and Kursk, the units of Southwestern Front that were pocketed earlier are finished off by Axis troops.

In the far south at Taganrog, 2 SS motorized divisions and 2 panzer divisions work to push over the Mius.


The Axis Winter Line is clearly seen going in place at Kursk.

An interesting thing to note, German tanks went from 1,884 last turn to 2,228 this turn. That might give the panzertruppen a second wind.

Factory Evacuations
Arms from Tambov, Rybinsk, and Kolomna are evacuated to Nizhny Tagil.
9 Li-2 factories move from Khimki to Kazan.

Air Missions:
141 ground bombing sorties launched, causing an estimated 600-700 Axis casualties.

Admin notes:
A. Zhadov replaces P. Ponedelin commanding 12th Army

[M60A3TTS]

Week 14 18.9.41

The Axis forces are pressing ahead, taking advantage of the continuing favorable weather. Their Winter Line is clearly under construction.

Northwest and Reserve Front Reports
German forces get across the Volga and drive 40 miles southeast towards Moscow. They are now 80 miles from the capital.
3rd Tank Division holds Kalinin. The Lama River is the next among the shrinking number of natural defensive barriers protecting Moscow.



Bryansk and Western Front Reports
Panzers and motorized troops make a northern dash of 100 miles between Tula and Tambov. They may be positioning themselves to get between the two fronts and Moscow. A loose series of 4 fortified zones have been hastily built between Tula and the area around Ryazan along the Pronya River. A collection of units work to screen the Pronya and dig in on the northern bank.



North Caucasus Front Report
Ten divisions are cut off by fast moving SS and panzer forces northwest of Rostov. A counterattack against 9th and 14th Panzer Divisions temporarily opens a supply route to the isolated units. The Luftwaffe is flying a good number of resupply missions here to keep the advance moving. Only a few transports were shot down.



Axis forces conducted 47 attacks this week that resulted in Soviet retreats. 10 additional attacks resulted in routed Soviet units.
By comparison, the Red Army conducted 12 deliberate attacks of which 11 were successful in forcing an Axis retreat.
The Red Army Air Force conducted 150 ground bombing sorties inflicting approximately 400 Axis casualties.

OOB at end of Week 14

[M60A3TTS]

[M60A3TTS]

Week 15 25.9.41

In the battle for Moscow, German units force their way across the Lama River. They are now 60 miles from the capital. In one battle, the 332nd Rifle Division of Galitsky’s 8th Army at Klin holds off the 29th Motorized Divisions in two separate encounters.


East of Tula, German mobile forces continue their advance and threaten to cut off the bulk of Bryansk and Western Front. The decision is made to begin a 2-week withdrawal north to the Oka. This will mean giving up Tula.


In the south, Axis forces once again seal the pocket containing nine divisions northwest of Rostov.


The Red Army during this week conducts attacks against a number of enemy divisions, all of which are successful.


Factory Evacuations
3 arms from North Moscow to Magnitogorsk.
8 arms from West Moscow to Magnitogorsk
2 vehicles from N Moscow to Cheboksary

Air Activity
118 ground bombing sorties caused some 400 Axis casualties

Here are ground losses to date. With Soviet losses at under 2.5 million, this is a positive, especially given that the Southwestern Front was almost consumed whole. Meanwhile efforts are already well under way to rebuild that front.

[M60A3TTS]

Week 16 2.10.41

The enemy continues to push on towards Moscow and Rostov. In the Moscow-Tula region, the evacuation of our troops from Tula is completed as all but three rifle divisions northwest of Tula are north of the Oka. 17th Panzer Division had crossed the Oka but was pushed back.

At Rostov, 9th and 13th Panzer Divisions had crossed the Don, but they too were pushed back. Still, the Axis seems determined to take Rostov.


Administrative Note:

Georgy Zakharov, commander of 48th Army is kllled. He was an outstanding commander and will be sorely missed. V. Tsvetaev takes command.
Semyon Timoshenko relieves Ivan Konev as commander of N Caucasus Military District. Konev is then reassigned to take command of 48th Army from Tsvetaev.

Air Information:
147 air sorties resulted in 343 Axis casualties.
11 interdiction missions inflicted 75 casualties.
17 supply drops to partisans were executed. There are 49 partisan battalions.
Soviet/Axis air loss ratio following the initial week: 2.1-1 (4424 vs. 2105)

Factory Evacuations:
Move 10 vehicle factories from Moscow to Chkalov
Move 18 T-60 factories from Moscow to Kazan
Move 2 arms factories from Moscow to Chelnyabinsk.

The situation around Moscow


And at Rostov


Battles this week that were successful