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

[glvaca]

Center Overview.
BAD!

[glvaca]

South

[glvaca]

North, close up.
He effortly breaks through my weak line and isolates Leningrad. There's no way that I'm going to be able to hold the city or delay its fall long enough to prevent forces being transferred to the center. It's going to be a long summer...

Although at several combats reserve divisions commit to the fight, they are by now too weak and his attacks too heavy to make a difference.
There's only one combat I win, in the swamp hex to the South. Thank God for small favors! [;)]

[glvaca]

Dissaster in the Center. He leaves the attack in the center of my line to the infantry who push accross the Upper Dnepr but don't really pose a big threat.

His panzers shift to the left of my line, penetrate through the Yelna Axis, cut South and isolate 10 infantry divisions. About 50% crap, the rest average. Still a considerable loss and it opens my left flank to a rapid advance in the direction of Tula and/or Kaluga. Luckily, from his position there, it is not easy to cut North and get behind my center because of the swamps and the river Ugra in between. Still, a major pull back on the left flank is unavoidable. The really bad news is that I don't have enough divisions to plug the gap without weakening some other part of the front...

[glvaca]

Around D-town, he decides to push NE again, ignoring my line the Orel river. With few success further down I think he realized a linkup with XIV Pz Corps is out of the question.
Still, his assaults conflict substantial losses and morale of my units is starting to get low.

[glvaca]

Further South, 9th Army is further reduced to 5 units but is still not dead, a victory by itself.
To the East, he hasty attacks my line and pushes it back in places. Other hexes hold and ,eventhough none of the reserve divisions is committed, Bagrayam is proving his worth. His open flak seems inviting...

[glvaca]

After Soviet Moves, North.

When in doubt, counter attack! [;)]
Hardly true or possible in this game, but still I manage to mount a serious assault on the 1Pz and 3rd Mot. pushing them back 3 hexes to clear stacking limits. Eventhough it's not a big success and Leningrad is lost, it serves as a reminder to Sebastian that he needs to keep on his toes. Hopefully, making him more careful in the future. Appart form that, and probably more true, it's good for my morale after taking such constant punishment...

[glvaca]

In the Center I toss and turn the pro's and con's of staying and fight for it, or to retreat.
After 3 turns of movement and attacking his speahead certainly looks weak.
It's incredibly tempting to try and lock his spearheads and try to counter attack but in the end, I'm far from certain I could win such a contest. First, I can't open the pocket, in part because I don't have immediate reserves to counter attack with and because those further away can't get to him. A direct result of his custom to flip hexes to create a buffer.

Secondly, indicated in the green circles, he has at least 5 Panzer Divs uncommitted that I can see and a ton of infantry wiithin easy reach. In addition, to have a chance, I would have to strip my right and center to the bare minimum and accept serious risks in those sectors.

The wiser choice is to suck it up and withdraw, which I do along the whole front. At the same time Vatutin's 10th army is pulled out of the line for some R&R which it urgently needs to prepare for the next stand I plan to make before Moscow, who's defences I'm frantically trying to construct.

I do manage one counter attack against the 20th Mot. Div. getting a good exchange rate.

[glvaca]

Overview Center

[glvaca]

In the South I do the unexpected and launch a small offensive against his open left flank!
Using 16th, 44th and 47th tank divisions, attached to 3rd Airborn Corps commanded by Pavel Batov, I hasty attack Rum. 21st Inf. Div twice and herd it into the "pocket". Unfortunately, I lack the mobility to truely create a firm pocket, but this is not really the objective of this, well, raid.

At the very least, he will need to repond to this intrusion which should weaken his offensive to the East.
Failing that, it will make him more consious of his flanks and dedicate more forces too it in the future, weakening his Scherpunkt.
Finally, the big bonus I'm after, he might just move his Panzers at D-Town South in an effort to relieve the "pocket"and create a pocket of his own. With the Dnepr to be crossed twice, not to menion once in Zoc, I don't think he'll be able to pull that off. It's a gamble, but it's the best I can come up with.

I really regret not having an Airborn brigade standing by to drop on the most Southern flipped hex as it would cause him to pay Zoc costs while crossing a major river if he pulls nback units from the front line to the East.

[glvaca]

Just to the South I take a risk and don't retreat. I probably should but retreating there while bluffing further down would make the bluff much less credible. I'm really hoping he rushes South. We'll see if he takes the bait.

[glvaca]

To finish this turn, overview South:

[glvaca]

Ground losses

[glvaca]

Air losses

[glvaca]

OOB

[glvaca]

Unit losses

[glvaca]

finally, production:

[comsolut]

That is a real fur-ball in the the south!

Tough to commit those 3 cav divisions, but so often as the Russian you just feel like it is imperative to cause some problems for the German or you just feel like a punching bag.

Leningrad is always difficult to see fall, psychologically it affects the Russian, I think every game if I can just hold Leningrad it will feel like a victory in 41. Not to mention stretch the German lines and keep the Finns at bay. Sigh.

[comsolut]

Not sure how accurate this is, but I notice your pool of 280mm Siege Mortars is zero, and I seem to recall someone saying those monsters are BIG armament hogs. I usually disband a Heavy Mortar Batt (I think that is the TOE they are found in) or two and try to keep some in the pool so they don't eat up my armaments making any Siege mortars when I have nothing to besiege.

Any comments on the above, either confirming or refuting appreciated.

[sillyflower]

I shouldn't think building over 100 203mm howitzers helps either. I just turn TORs of siege artillery down. Can aways increas them again if you ever get more arms points than you know what to do with.