41-45GC - A FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL - GLVACA (Sov) v SJ80 (Axis) - NO SJ80

[glvaca]

South overview:

[comsolut]

[/quote]

I'll post production, losses and OOB screenshots at the end of my turn 3.
For the first 2 turns I put everything on the board at the start of the game on refit. If memory serves close to a million men arrive as replacements during those 2 turns and most of the starting divs go from weak to pretty decent 3's and sometimes 4's. Usually the quelity of the divisions in the South is higher than in the Center and North. Hence I transfer many of the best units from the South to the North and Center. From turn 3 onwards (you'll see in the next screenshots, frontline units generally go to ready, and the new divisions get all the replacements.

[;)]
[/quote]

Ok, Thanks for posting prod, losses and OOB. I will keep following and see other strategies, which is one of the really cool things about this game.

[glvaca]

After reviewing the situation, it becomes clear I have a couple of choices to make.
In the North, I continue the delaying action by employing a hedgehoc defence of strong to moderate stacks South of the Luga. Luckily, the terrain favors the defence. This allows me to stay out of reach of the fast approaching infantry and forces Sebastian to again use his armour to gain headway. At the end of turn 3, he was already down to 1649 serviceable tanks, hopefully, we can reduce this further.

Leningrad Front 28th, 24th and 23rd Armies take over responsibility for the Luga defense and start digging. A liberal dose of RR brigades to those three armies is ordered.

NW Fronts 27th and 11th Armies shift East and North to cover the right hook, and I'm doing my damndest to appear very strong in this area. Everything West of Velikie Lukie is practically abandoned to find the necessary troops. In any case, following the retreat in the Center this was inevitable. Staying there would invariably have lead to an encirclement in a couple of turns, if that.

In the Center, the choices are simple, stay another turn and hope for the best or, fall back, in good order, just enough to stay out of reach of the infantry now appearing in strength while making use of the river lines to bolster the defenses.
It's not an easy decision. Giving up the land bridge and the upper Dnepr on turn 4 is ugly, it's still a looong way till mud and I need time to get the newly arrived reinforcements worked up so they can take their place in the line. The Reserve front has just activated but is in no shape to be committed. The best I can expect them to do is some digging, and even that. On the other hand, staying another turn can be fatal. I've just lost 5 good divisions and there is no hope of relieving them as Sebastian is very careful and always stacks 2 units which could be attacked. In addition, he invariably creates a buffer of flipped hexes which make it very difficult to get to him with sufficient movement points to make a deliberate attack. Lastly, to stay, I would need at least twice as many divisions to have any hope of stopping a determined push. So clearly, I must fall back and save the army, I'm sure to need them soon somewhere else.

In the South, recon reveals a buildup right where I anticipated him to cross and I further reinforce that stretch of the line. He's not going to get accross without a fight!

[glvaca]

Close up North:

[glvaca]

Partial evac of the VL bulge:

[glvaca]

Close up Center
Reserve Front with 3 armies if forming and taking positions to digin on the next defensive line.
Western and Bryansk Fronts fall back with a light screen up front. Bryansk Front is actually hanging a bit and I'm half hoping he might try and surround it.

[glvaca]

South overview
He's pushing hard with his XIV Pz Corps which creates an additional headache towards to lower Dnepr I can do without. Keeping the Lower Dnepr bend is one of my bonus objectives and 9th Army is assigned the responsibility of keeping it. Unfortunately, there has been little time to reinforce it so the lines are very thin.

[glvaca]

Close up Kiev defenses.
After recon I spot what seems to be at least 2 panzer corps supported by infantry right opposed to the anticipated crossing point.
I further reinforce the likely hexes to be attacked and deploy some good stacks to the rear to delay exploitation. I basically have to strip my defenses further down the river to achieve this so I'm hoping this is not a faint!

[glvaca]

ORIGINAL: comsolut

I'll post production, losses and OOB screenshots at the end of my turn 3.
For the first 2 turns I put everything on the board at the start of the game on refit. If memory serves close to a million men arrive as replacements during those 2 turns and most of the starting divs go from weak to pretty decent 3's and sometimes 4's. Usually the quelity of the divisions in the South is higher than in the Center and North. Hence I transfer many of the best units from the South to the North and Center. From turn 3 onwards (you'll see in the next screenshots, frontline units generally go to ready, and the new divisions get all the replacements.

[;)]
[/quote]

Ok, Thanks for posting prod, losses and OOB. I will keep following and see other strategies, which is one of the really cool things about this game.
[/quote]

NP, happy to hear you find it of use! If you have any questions fire away, if I can't help I'm sure there are many on this forum who can.

[glvaca]

TURN 5
Sitrep before Soviet moves.
North and Center:

[glvaca]

Close up North:
Most of my hedgehoc strongpoints are mercilessly blasted away but my strong stack just SW of Luga is still intact. Sebastian seems to be moving to my right, which is very weakly held for the moment, and also to my left, also weakly held. The swamp pockets are eliminated but they have done their job.
Good news is, he's not pursuing a right hook at this time.
The combat report is from a Hasty attack on the swamp hex closest to Leningrad. 3 panzer divisions effortly push out a medium strength infantry divsion with a hasty attack. The VVS comes out in strength but cannot influence the result.

[glvaca]

Close up center:
Quick work is made of last turns pocket at Mogilev but my pickets and strongpoints sufficiently delay his advance to prevent any major assault on the river fallback line. My very first held result when it matters. 12th Panzer receives a bloody nose in a deliberate attack and the VVS scores a victory with 8 enemy planes downed for no loss of our own! Hoeraai.
However, a followup hasty attack by 3 panzer divisions pushes the brave defenders back to accross the river.

[glvaca]

Overview South:

[glvaca]

Close up Dnepr assault.
I'm not a happy bunny when I see this. My relatively strong defences are pushed back with heavy loss. 2 hexes are taken and 4 infantry and 2 Mech divisions are accross the Dnepr. A counter attack against these CV's is simply not in the cards. Hmmmm.

[glvaca]

The fourth "hotspot" unexpectedly devellops on the lower Dnepr with a blitz attack by the SS Wiking which pushes the 2 Airborn brigades defending back with ease. You cannot imagine how much I regret not putting a division in that hex last turn...
The LAH follows up and occupies the bridgehead.

[glvaca]

Close up North after Soviet moves.
The 2 turns won have enabled me to form a credible defensive line on based on the Luga river.
On my right 28th Army (Purkaev) defends the lower Luga, to it's left, Solkolovsky's 24th Army extends the front. NW Fronts 11th Army (Khozin) is leapfrogged from the South to extend the Luga line to the East and South. Extending the line further Southwards, protecting against a right hook, is NW fronts 27th Army (Berzarin). Stavka's 31th Army is deployed along the Lovat to add depth and errect forts.
23rd Army is deployed in depth to cover the Leningrad but is very weak at this time.

Expecting an assault on the Luga river line I put practically all units from 24th and 28th Army in reserve, hopefully I can surprise him and blunt an attack or 2. Unfortunately, 11th Armies units having been moved from the South have little movement left.

[glvaca]

In the Center, South of Smolensk, I again fall back a couple hexes trying to stay out of striking distance from his infantry and put a weak screening line to keep contact with his Mech divs.
From top to bottom Moscow MD's 20th Army is activated and takes up position to start digging in on the rough hexes East of VL.
Reserve Front 32nd Army (Vasilevsky) takes up position to protect Belyi and the most likely of the three main routes to Moscow (red arrow). 34th Army (Rokossovsky) is deployed further South to cover the other 2 important likely routes of advance towards the Russian capital.

To the West, Zhukov's Western Front's 4th Army (Tolbukhin) extends the Smolensk strongpoint to the North and more or less stays in it's positions of last week.
Vatutin's 10th Army Extends the line further SE linking up with Molinovsky's 13th Army and in turn to Vasily Kuznetsov's 3rd Army.
Further extending the line is Bryansk Fronts 21st Army and weak elements of several armies further down.
This force is backed up by 2nd and 3rd BAK, Several hundred fighters and bombers of the Western and Reserve Front's and Mocow and Bryansk MD's.

All in all, approximately 1.2 million men, 12k guns, 15.000 AFV and 2000 planes are getting ready to make a stand along the Belyi-Yelnya-Roslaval Axis. Fortifications are scarce and I'm not feeling very confident but I have to try, retreating further towards Moscow at this stage is not an option.

On the positive side, the critical phase has seemed to have passed and Sebastian has not been able to really capitalize on crossing the Dnepr so early. So far I have been able to save most of my first class divisions to fight another day. My strength is increasing with the arrival of new divisions. My C&C is sorted out for the Western and Reserve fronts at least and the very best leaders available are commanding the Armies. At three main axis of advance (indicated with the arrows) I have built a FZ to help with the fortification of it's weakest spot. Unfortunately, I neglect assigning RR Brigades directly to them and they will not help much but that is a lesson I learn in a few turns...

All along the line I put divisions in reserve mode in the hope of springing some nasty surprises.

[glvaca]

Overview North & Center

[glvaca]

South Overview

[glvaca]

After a long debate I decide to retreat from the Dnepr line. It wasn't an easy decision and perhaps I will regret it in a couple of weeks but the risk of a breakthrough and the loss of the only force capable of resisting the German advance at this point in time is just to great to accept. Knowing he still has at least one Panzer Corps uncomitted on the West bank of the Dnepr is not encouraging. If I stay and he blasts through the consequences would be incalcuable and an immediate retreat towards Stalino unavoidable.

The constant milking of divisions to help out in the Center and at Leningrad has left the South weak. However, I can give terrain here without to much consequence. Obviously, it will cost manpower but nothing in the order of losing Moscow.

No, better to keep the army in tact as a fighting force and fall back to Sula, while gathering strength, with the aim of making a determined stand at the Poltava line.
Judging the distance from the bridgehead at Kiev big enough I decide to leave a stretch of the Dnepr unguarded to have maximum force further West.