Gnikam eht ni retsasid - Oloren USSR, Terje Axis. Oloren now permitted.

[Peltonx]

ORIGINAL: terje439

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

RE: Leadership changes, I think your priority is to work on bad Corps commanders first. These suggestions aren't totally off base, but here are my individual thoughts:

Question
I am contemplating the following leader changes, is this a wise move, or am I way off??
Guderian -> OKH OKH shouldn't be doing alot of fighting; Guderian is a fighting leader. I would keep Guderian as Army commander, and Halder is good for OKH, because Admin is the rating that matters, and that's the one that counts for OKH

Von Kluge -> AGN (That's fine, I wouldn't spend alot of points to do that)

Kesselring -> AGC (Smiling Albert is tempting to use; I prefer him in Luftwaffe, but I can see either way)

Model -> AGS (I think his rank is not high enough yet in 1941, without suffering penalties when you promote him. You don't want to do that. Get him promoted first. Even so, I prefer him as top Infantry Army commander)

Ok, so Halder at OKH and keep Guderian at army level.
To change leaders for AGN/AGC/AGS I HAVE to spend alot of points as the cost was listed as something like 25+11 [X(]

But I will work on corps/army level first then. Thanks for the reply.


Terje

I do not waste many AP's changing leaders during 41. I put Model in charge of I Corp and thats about it. Your best leaders should be at Corp level during 41 not army.

Mainstein and Guard should be head of 2 Corp that have 4 mech units each with allot of SU's. Mech units recover very quickly, unlike panzer divisions which require many turns.

Use your AP's to fill up 18th army with high morale infantry divisions, poineers, artillry and stug's. 18th army then can basicly solo Leningrad vs the stiffest resistance with the help of 2 panzer Corp. that are used to exploit.

Save the rest of AP's for 5 to 10 HQ build ups during 41 summer and snow.

You should have a bunch to switch out a few leaders before blizzard, then by summer of 42 400+ ap's to start building your late war defensive wall and put units in or out of static mode.

At some point late in 43 you can mess around with the leaders. The army leaders seem basicly usless during combat. The Corp leader rolls are a huge. They effect allot of close battles.

[CheerfullyInsane]

ORIGINAL: terje439

Concerns
Where do I make my winter-fallback-line?

Warsaw?
I hear it's lovely this time of year. [:D]

[terje439]

@Pelton - Thank you. You are without doubt a much more experienced errr Hitler???? (no offence intended) than me [:D]
@CheerfullyInsane - Think it is far enough to the rear?


Terje

[Q-Ball]

Pelton I think is on target with his suggestions on AP expenditures. The 18th Army idea is a good one (make that your elite formation, with plenty of fort-bashing goodies). It takes a little shifting, because all the best siege artillery seems like it's in 9th Army, for who knows what reason.

I also agree you want to save-up for Fort Zones pre-winter. Not to actually dig, because they don't really do that, but to preserve forts you already have

[Tophat1815]

Go with Pelton's advice as he certainly should know having run through so many games looking at the effects of deployments and combats for the Germans. Can we get a screenshot of AGC and the northern part of AGS?

[terje439]

Turn 10

Overall
The USSR try to make a stand at the Dnepr all along its length. Well, we will not have any of that, and the line is breached north of the Pripjet, while in the south the Dnepr should be crossed next turn.
We make 41 attacks, scoring 5 held, 24 retreat, 8 surrender and 4 routs.

Losses
USSR : 96.000 troops, 1.272 guns, 357 AFVs and 99 AC.
Axis : 28.000 troops, 212 guns, 118 AFVs and 37 AC.

Cities Captured
We liberate the poor people in Gomel, Cherkassy, Kirovgrad and Krivoi Rog from communism.

Units Destroyed
2 tank divisions, 4 rifle divisions, 1 mountain division and 1 fortified region all surrender to out panzers this turn.

Pools
Manpower : 28.698
Vehicle : 163.035
Armaments : 79.822
Hiwi : 65.207.

Concerns
How far can I push before mud? I will have to order the Italians to dig somewhere soon.

[gingerbread]

Your not serious about making a head on attack on Kiev, are you? It should be isolated to get the terrain multiplier down. Kremenchug looks much more inviting...

[Tophat1815]

ORIGINAL: gingerbread

Your not serious about making a head on attack on Kiev, are you? It should be isolated to get the terrain multiplier down. Kremenchug looks much more inviting...

Listen to him on this one going head-on into a city fight is a sure way to take losses! Punch SE from Gomel if you are over the river there and start pocketing reds or there will be hell to pay come winter. You need to try going for encirclements more and giving the reds some losses to deal with.

How is the drive on Leningrad progressing?

Where are you on the AGC corridor to Smolensk?

What are your objectives again? territory and cities to do armament and manpower damage to soviets? Or destruction of the Red Army? Take a step back and see where you are with these goals.

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: gingerbread

Your not serious about making a head on attack on Kiev, are you? It should be isolated to get the terrain multiplier down. Kremenchug looks much more inviting...

No no, poor wording on my account. They will only attack the city after it is isolated and that CV of X is wastly reduced.


Terje

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: Tophat1812

ORIGINAL: gingerbread

Your not serious about making a head on attack on Kiev, are you? It should be isolated to get the terrain multiplier down. Kremenchug looks much more inviting...

Listen to him on this one going head-on into a city fight is a sure way to take losses! Punch SE from Gomel if you are over the river there and start pocketing reds or there will be hell to pay come winter. You need to try going for encirclements more and giving the reds some losses to deal with.

1. How is the drive on Leningrad progressing?

2. Where are you on the AGC corridor to Smolensk?

3. What are your objectives again? territory and cities to do armament and manpower damage to soviets? Or destruction of the Red Army? Take a step back and see where you are with these goals.

1. Slowly as I am the rivers and the USSR is well entrenched, but we take 3-4 "river" hexes per turn.
2. Cracking the line trying to break it. something like 8 hexes away from the city.
3. Territory for now, then find a good position to tackle the blizzard, then try to kill off enough troops to collapse the USSR front.


Terje

[terje439]

Turn 11

Overall
We push as hard as possible north and south of Smolensk. The USSR will either have to fall back or risk losing about 1/5th of his army. We get alot of held result when we try to force the Dnepr, so we only manage to make a few bridgeheads across. We make a total of 68 attacks, and score 1 scouted, 20 held, 40 retreats, 6 routs and 1 shatter.

Losses
USSR : 98.000 troops, 1.387 guns, 914 AFVs and 274 AC.
Axis : 38.000 troops, 420 guns, 204 AFVs and 44 AC.

Units Destroyed
A motorcycle regiment shatters this turn.

Pools
Manpower : 29.087
Vehicle : 159.699
Armaments : 80.081
Hiwi : 71.800

Concern
We have lost all momentum, we are now moving at a very slow pace in most places. Not good as this allows the USSR to dig dig and then dig some more.

[Tophat1815]

Your southern breakthrough seems fine but in the northern breakthrough do you have any armor or mobile divisions taking part in that attack?

What does your drive on Leningrad look like?

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: Tophat1812


1. Your southern breakthrough seems fine but in the northern breakthrough do you have any armor or mobile divisions taking part in that attack?

2. What does your drive on Leningrad look like?

1. Yup, both panzer and mechanized divisions in the northern attack as well.
2. Slow moving. The Fins are at the no attack line and cannot do anything more atm, the Germans are about 4 hexes away, but we are pushing the USSR away from all those pesky rivers up there.


Terje

[Blubel]

What are the loses looking like?

[terje439]

Turn 12

Overall
As expected the USSR manage to pull back in the north denying us from creating a pocket. South fo the Pripjet we manage to expand our bridgeheads across the Dnepr as well as make more of them. Around Leningrad movement is slow. This turn we only grab empty territory, no cities captured. We manage 91 attacks, scoring 22 held, 63 retreats, 6 routs and 1 shatter.

Losses
USSR : 92.000 troops, 1.460 guns, 768 AFVs and 131 AC.
Axis : 45.000 troops, 421 guns, 185 AFVs and 24 AC.

Pools
Manpower : 30.025
Vehicle : 161.645
Armaments : 70.923
Hiwi : 74.639

Concerns
I am not able to push those last few hexes when attempting to encircle enemy units, I need to aim smaller.
It also seems I am losing too much infantry...

[terje439]

Turn 13

Overall
Pushing wherever possible, and we make some progress, but movement is slow. We will try to make a pocket east of Kiev now, as there is a remote possibility of trapping some 20 USSR units, but it is probably a longshot. We make 45 attacks, scoring 1 scouted, 11 held, 29 retreats, 1 rout, 1 shatter and 2 surrender.

Losses
USSR: 57.000 troops, 952 guns, 143 AFVs, 129 AC.
Axis : 39.000 troops, 330 guns, 130 AFVs, 40 AC.
A 1 : 1 ratio in lost AFVs is not good for me, but that is what happens when a 10 CV unit is rebiffed by a 1 CV unit...

Cities Captured
We take Chernigov this turn.

Units destroyed
1 rifle division, 2 army artillery regiments and Moscow PM Rifle division all surrender to our troops.

Pools
Manpower : 30.733
Vehicle : 166.745
Armaments : 61.436
Hiwi : 76.935

Concern
Mud is coming on fast now.

[Tophat1815]

Certainly looks like you have a golden opportunity to net a major group of soviet forces in a Kiev pocket.

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: Tophat1812

Certainly looks like you have a golden opportunity to net a major group of soviet forces in a Kiev pocket.

There is IF my 10 : 1 attacks do not fail too miserably as they tend to do...


Terje

[randallw]

The neck on the northern pincer looks a little thin.

[Tophat1815]

Can we get a better pic of the two prongs of the projected pincer?