Knocking out Red Army in 3 months - Emir vs Cannonfodder

[Texasgrunt]

Leningrad - Good going clearing our Pskov by turn 6. The rail line needs to run thru there. Also, recon the straight shot to Leningrad but be sure to make a run around the east side of Lake Ilman. If you can cut the rail lines east of the lake all the way to Sviritsa then Leningrad is isolated and doomed. Slogging thru the swamps north of Novgorod is slow going and you can run out of time.

Moscow - the Sov situation there is not good, losing the north Dnepr line that quickly. Press on, encircle as many units as possible (evern 2-3 at a time, small pockets) because those propellers cannot dig trenches in front of Moscow. But in the end you will have to encircle Moscow to take it, hopefully closing the noose just before mud. Bryansk is a noce objective before mud but anything farther cannot be supplied into the blizzard, so get the XXIV Pz headed to Kaluga.

Odessa - be careful to leave a retreat hex for the unit there, so it can retreat out of the city and then be isolated/killed next turn. otherwise it will retreat to Sevastopol and you have to kill it again.

South - I'd make III Pz and XIV Pz to lilnk up at Churkassa and pocket whatever he leaves south of the Dnepr. Use the XXXIV Pzz to head for Dnepropetrovsk and then Kharkov.

Finally security. I'd be darn sure the Pripyet is clear of any Russians stray dogs and fully garrison all cities. Looks liek you are on the garison thing - I hate partisans.

Don't let up the attack until the turn before blizzard. Even in mud, keep attacking.

[Emx77]

Turn 007

[Emx77]

Turn 008

[Emx77]

TURNS 009-010

[Emx77]

TURN 11

Here it is. Mother of all lines. I have bumped into it. Direct result of sir Robin strategy.

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

Great AAR Emir - and I absolutely love the graphics! [:)]


Leo "Apollo11"

[Baelfiin]

that second link seems a little dangerous

ORIGINAL: Emir Agic

ORIGINAL: bigbaba

very nice looking maps. which paint software are you working with, emir?

Thank you. Here is a list of necessary tools:

1. MILSketch software with some custom arrows and lines. You can read review here.

2. Pain.NET 3.5 with [://paint.net.amihotornot.com.au/]"Object outline" plug-in for outlining texts and other objects.

Both programs are free of charge.

[gingerbread]

..., no gain, right?

[Texasgrunt]

Nice work cutting rail lines to Leningrad - that helps but is not enough to reduce the city defenses. Now you need to punch thru to Sivirte on Lake Ladoga east to isolate the city, and units will begin to surrender.

There is no excuse for the Finns taking so long to make progress on the east side of the Lake. There is almost no reason to send many Finns toward Leningrad since they can;t attack until the city is already taken. Always send 75% of the Finn army east to awai linking up with Manstein (I use him for the push east of Lake ilmen, just for fun).

Waste no time in front of Moscow - go around that short defense line. Once you cross the Volga Canal (north of Moscow) and the NAra (sourh of Moscow) he has to retreat or lose the line with the city.

he has a lot of meat in front ot Crimea but you should make a hard run south and clean him out. But the main effort should be for Stalino and Kharkov.

Keep making small pockets, trapping individual units. Reducing his counter count forces him to use precious APs creating units and makes it hare to buy SUs and very hard to combine units in to corps.

Keep atacking, even in mud. But there is no reason to put much effort into any push east past Kalinin, north of Kalinin. Taking Yaroslav can be done but can't be done until 1942. TIme to be careful about your choices of attack lines to conserve men and fuel.

Finally, pound his air force into dust with AB attacks or else it will give you hell in 1942.

[Emx77]

ORIGINAL: Texasgrunt

Nice work cutting rail lines to Leningrad - that helps but is not enough to reduce the city defenses. Now you need to punch thru to Sivirte on Lake Ladoga east to isolate the city, and units will begin to surrender.

There is no excuse for the Finns taking so long to make progress on the east side of the Lake. There is almost no reason to send many Finns toward Leningrad since they can;t attack until the city is already taken. Always send 75% of the Finn army east to awai linking up with Manstein (I use him for the push east of Lake ilmen, just for fun).

I'm trying exactly that. I know that once you link with Finns Leningrad is doomed. Although progress is slow I'm expecting to cut off Leningrad before mud. BTW, main drawback of right hooking Leningrad is that it takes time and becomes content of the strength. When your opponent realize what you are trying to pull, he will start pumping units in those marshes and woods slowing you to a crawl. On the other hand if you manage to link with Finns that usually result in huge pocket with at least 20-30 Soviet divisions inside. I'm afraid even to think what would it be if you, as German, fail in right hook operation.

By your advice I am sending additional Finns divisions in the area.

Waste no time in front of Moscow - go around that short defense line. Once you cross the Volga Canal (north of Moscow) and the NAra (sourh of Moscow) he has to retreat or lose the line with the city.

This plan looks good on paper but it will be very difficult to carry out it on the battlefield. He has a lot of forts and is carpeting area with infantry divisions. I will try to break defensive belts and surround Moscow but I don't have much time left and my forces are at maximum strain. I would say that my chances are 50:50.

he has a lot of meat in front ot Crimea but you should make a hard run south and clean him out. But the main effort should be for Stalino and Kharkov.

You are right. Crimea is my weak spot. I need to send German Corps here to seal it for winter. I simply don't have resources and time to clean Crimea in '41.

Finally, pound his air force into dust with AB attacks or else it will give you hell in 1942.

We are playing with house rule: No AB attacks after first turn. Although, I already feel that strength of red AF is increasing. I can tell that by numerous interdiction attacks during last turns. Also I have my own problems as my fighter numbers are decreasing. I wrote about it here.

[Emx77]

ORIGINAL: Apollo11
Great AAR Emir - and I absolutely love the graphics! [:)]

Thank you [:)]

[Emx77]

TURN 12

[Emx77]

TURN 13

[Tarhunnas]

Nice graphics!

[Emx77]

TURN 13 - Operation "Kalinin" (second week)

[Emx77]

TURN 13 - Operation "Kharkov" (first week)

[2ndACR]

Either way, those factories are screwed, he has to rebuild the rail lines to move them out IIRC. Just trying to get back into the game so a little rusty.

[wmcalpine]

Emir,

Nice catch at Kharkov. Will you post updates to those nice spreadsheets? Those are great for a numbers freak like me.

Bill

[Flaviusx]

Wow. Those tank factories at Kharkov should've been long gone, keeping them there as late as turn 13 is begging for trouble.

[Emx77]

TURN 14 - Operation "Kalinin" (third week)

Soviet are trying to escape yet another encirclement. Unfortunately for them, it will be impossible. Unfortunately for me, finishing encirclement and destroying all Soviet forces trapped during operation "Kalinin" will take another week.