Scar attacks the Soviet Union (Scar v IdahoNYer)

[Scarz]

AGS

[Flaviusx]

That's not very secure, I'm afraid. Those SS regiments are the weak spot. The entire pocket can be opened up there. He just has to retreat the one in the middle to do the job. The cav in the pocket west of it moves east behind it, a unit under the cav moves SW, and one of the nearby motorized divisions moves east or northeast. Interior pocket movements to be made prior to the attack (especially the first one, which blocks the retreat path.) 3-4 divisions launching a deliberate attack on the regiment will force a retreat and the whole pocket is back in supply. Or some combination of hasty attacks.

You cannot rely on regiments to hold pockets like this after turn 1.

One thing you could have done to make it slightly more secure: flip control of all those hexes near them. The regiments had movement left and could have done that. Those hexes would then be Axis controlled and across a river to boot and consume a lot of MPs. The way to hamstring the Soviets is to take advantage of their lack of mobility and forcing them to march across even empty but Axis controlled hexes can stymie a counterattack. Generally speaking, this is by far the best way to secure a pocket: just flip control of a bunch of stuff east of it. The Soviet won't have the movement to do anything about that.

But even that might not be enough in this case.

[Peltonx]

One of the biggest mistakes peeps make is not making there pockets air tight.

This can cause a snowballing of never getting things under control. If you have a bad turn, follow it up by a turn where you seal the flanks, rest/refit/HQ tanks, move infanrty forward.

Then you can punch through with infantry and get the snowball rolling east again.

Flanks tight, never let tanks get cut off, unless you 100% know they will because your raiding a rail line or city. If you do a raid make sure you drop fuel and supplys to the units in question and have enoguh units to break open the lines to the unit the following turn. This should net you a good pocket.

Good flanks make sure your in control and hes guessing, right now your guessing if your flanks will hold. Turns 7-10 he gets very few new units, you need to get things under control and hit him in all thre areas before then.

Turn off ground support and use lvl bombers for just air drops. Make sure you have poineers with every panzer attack.

1st corp should be 4 90 morale infantry units with Model in charge. Load it up with poineers,stugs and art. This Corp can easly crack Leningrad, there is zero hexes that will not fall to it on map. You will get 2 D attacks per turn from these units and or you can advance after other units crack the front and do a D attack to enemys 2nd line.

Regiments can be used to hold pockets if they are behind rivers and 1 in each hex for 3 hexes. I use river as often as possible to hold flanks of a breakthrough.

A single regiment behind a river can easly hold in 1941.

[Klydon]

The subject of the Crimea in this game is an interesting one. I have gone back and forth on the merits of taking it or screening it off. The Crimea is a representation of one of the issues with this game in terms of risk/reward. For the Germans, there is no real reward in taking it from a political/economic standpoint of view and there is very little manpower down there. Kerch has some industry, but this can easily be evacuated at the last second since Kerch is a port and even with the rail lines cut, they can "rail out" their industry.

The issues for the Axis are twofold. First, they have to expend effort to take the place and in order to stand any chance of capturing any significant forces, must commit some panzer forces. After digging Russians out of level 4 forts (at least), the Germans must then look at trying to garrison a large area where the Russians can land anywhere and in a lot of cases, put the entire area out of supply. Rumanians as a garrison alone won't get the job done. Against an aggressive Russian, you are going to have to keep at least a small German infantry corps down there. In the one AAR I did as the Germans, I consider taking the Crimea instead of pushing for Stalino with the panzer corps I had in the area a major mistake I made in the game. Even if I had continued on with the panzer corps, they would have had very, very weak infantry support. I also think any German that has had to deal with the Crimea before realizes also what a logistics nightmare it is to get fixed as well. Do you really want to blow a rail repair unit to try to get your troops into decent supply down there? During a winter/mud counter offensive, the Russians can land troops and the Germans can't even send reenforcements by rail.

Should the Axis screen off the Crimea, I think they can do it with an economy of force. The big question would be are they willing to commit at least one of their German mountain divisions to hold the area? The Rumanian mountain units can make it tough on the Russians, but they won't stop the Russians on their own. They need some help. Should the Russians break through the initial crust, a quick counterattack should knock them back and cause enough equipment and moral losses that those Russian units won't be effective again for a long time considering the logistics issues the Russians themselves have in the Crimea. If the Russians want to commit good troops to try a Crimea offensive, then let them. The Crimea is very limited logistically for the Russians as well and their troops will run out of steam relatively quickly.

Sorry for the book, but right now, my inclination as a German would be to screen it and dig in. It isn't worth taking (unless you raid it to wreck the rail lines) because of the requirements of the garrison and how almost indefensible it is to hold due to the Russian ability to land troops.

[Flaviusx]

Klydon, oddly enough, I don't bother defending the Crimea nowadays except for the Kerch straights and Sevastopol. I actually want the Axis to go in there and waste units trying to hold the place. 3 good rifle divisions in Sevastopol will require two German infantry corps to dislodge at a minimum (or some panzers.) And if the Germans wants to send panzer corps to the Crimea, I positively welcome that.

So long as you hold on to those two points, the rest of the peninsula can be retaken by the Soviets during the blizzard and it's fairly easy to cut off a lot of units down there in the process.

So the Soviet doesn't even need to defend the entry points. Let the Axis come.

[Klydon]

Yeah, from a Russian stand point of view, I agree with you Flaviusx. I would want the Germans to come into the Crimea during the 41 offensive because it can become a death trap later on. Certainly I would welcome the diversion of strength away from a east push into the Donbas.

[Scarz]

Turn 3
AGN: 4 Pz Group has reached the outskirts of Pskov, with 16 Army close behind. 18 Army was slowed somewhat with the capture of Riga and a few pesky Russian divisions from the initial pocket. Air recon shows a thinly manned river defense just outside of Pskov. I will rest 4 Pz Group next turn, and will have to decide whether or not to do a supply build up if possible, as the infantry closes up. In addition, 2 Army has assembled and railed to the Vilnius area. 2 Army should be on its way toward the southern shoulder of AGN next turn.

AGC: 2 and 3 Pz Groups made a quick envelopment of the Russian forward screen just west of the land bridge. While I could have pushed a bit harder, I am waiting for the infantry from 4 and 9 Army’s. 4 Army was tasked with reducing the Minsk pocket, so they are lagging a bit behind, but 9 Army is close at hand.

AGS: The south keeps trying to be a problem area. With all the time I have lost, I rolled the dice and made a mad cap dash for more encirclements and the game probably rests on the outcome (I am sure we will keep going, but if this backfires it will be a quick game for the Russians). The Russians broke the Lvov pocket again, and again I tried to make him pay for being so aggressive, with hyper aggressiveness on my own part. Last turn he attacked with seven odd divisions, and they were isolated and added to the pocket. Again, the Russians threw in 6-7 more divisions and broke into the pocket. Hoping to end the cycle, I made a rush with 1 Pz Group toward Proskurov and captured the city, while making a swing both north and south east. I overran several HQs and some routed units while isolating both a northern and south pocket. The north pocket may hold, but the southern one will be easily broken.
6 Army is holding the north part of the line now, and will be able to commit its infantry divisions into the fighting should the Russians make another successful attack into the pocket, which should free up the panzers for another encirclement (if they are not all surround next turn!).

I am taking big chances in the south, with the panzers in danger of being cut off with no one to rescue them, but I don’t see much choice. The Russians are launching effective attacks, and I am left with no choice but to try and maintain the initiative, by keeping a good pace and presenting the Russians with choices and problems. I flew lots of air recon missions, and I do not see any Soviet build ups near the newest pockets, so I may have finally penetrated into the soft part of his line. It seems the Russians may be out of reserves close to the action, otherwise my panzers look doomed.

The die is cast…

[Scarz]

Turn 4

AGN
The rail head is still a ways away, so I took the opportunity to rest Pz Group 4. 18 Army is still lagging a bit, but 16 Army has caught up for the most part, while 2 Army should be into position next turn. A very quiet turn for AGN.

AGC
AGC seems to be in much the same position as AGN. Both 2 and 4 Pz Groups are in need of rest before the next operation, and the infantry has just taken up positions with the panzers after clearing the Soviet units that were isolated last turn. I have still not decided the best way to approach the land bridge, and the Russians seem to have brought in a significant number of divisions.

AGS
The south is still a problem area, but not as critical as past turns. Most of the original Lvov pocket was reduced this turn, as well as four or five mobile divisions from the first Russian counter attack on turn one. The Russians units that made up the second wave on turn two were also encircled but cannot be reduced until next turn. This was a good haul, with three tank divisions, one motorized and five high strength infantry divisions in the little northern pocket. Finally the little south pocket south of Proskurov netted some powerful divisions (3 tank, 1 motorized and 3 infantry divisions, all seemingly high strength units). They will also have to wait until next turn.

In retrospect, I am not sure if the delay was worth it, but the Russians seem to have lost many of their most powerful units in the south. The Soviets are currently manning a line running north and south of Vinnitsa along the rivers, but it looks thin. It took supreme will power not to try and hit their line in the river gap this turn, as it looks clear all the way to Kiev.

I plan on holding in place to allow 4 Pz Group to rest, and depending on how quickly the final northern small pocket is reduced; I may try for another pocket. If the Russians retreat off their line, I will have to see where they go before making a decision on whether to push hard or wait for the infantry.

Oh, and the Finnish entered the war...

[Scarz]

Turn 5

When it rains, it pours. Mud in the central Soviet region grinds everything to a halt. I was able to use the time to reorganize some of the support units for the panzer groups, rest a bit and 17A reduced a few pockets in the south, but for the most part everyone sat in place. This lull will really give the Soviets a chance to reorganize and prepare for the next German push.

Air reconnaissance shows the Soviets have pulled back from their river line in the south opposite of 1 Pz Group, so it will be a bit more difficult deciding where to make the next strike. It would have been nice had the Soviets stayed in their forward line close to the panzers.

[Ketza]

Weather problems. Yikes!

[Scarz]

Turn 6

Lots of action following the slow down for mud. The Finnish are making slow but steady progress in the north, and there is very little to report in that sector.

AGN
4 Pz Group hit the Soviet river line south of Pskov and made good gains. However, the infantry were required to breach the initial river line, and thus were not available to support the penetration. XXXXI Pz Korps swung up and to the left, and is really hanging out in the wind. I expect the korps to be isolated next turn, but they were tasked with the northern rail line into what I hope will soon be the Velikie Luki pocket. 2 Army is apply pressure to the face of the pocket and protecting AGNs right, which I hope will free 16 Army to follow in behind the panzers.


AGC
Following heavy air reconnaissance, I decided to head right to the land bridge, and not attempt a river assault in the Smolensk area. The initial assaults with the infantry and lead armored units were costly, but a hole was punched through the land bridge. Both Panzer korps of 2 PZ Group were able to exploit and they were sent on a northeasterly path to cut the southern rail line into the Velikie Luki pocket. I do not believe the panzer spearhead is in much danger of being isolated, but they are far afield and supplies will be an issue.

AGS
AGS also made big gains this turn, and the area is best described in two sections. The northern most area, across from Kiev, was left unmolested. This area seems to be were the Russians had most of their strength, with a good screen out front, and forces digging in at Kiev and along the Dnepr river. 6 Army is still struggling to move forward, have just finally reduced the last Russian pockets from the initial battles on the frontier. Somewhere in the neighborhood of seventeen divisions were destroyed or surrendered this turn, the majority of them coming from the south.

I was thus left with the prospect of a straight shot toward Kiev, through the Soviets strongest line, and then a second fight at the river, or a wide flanking move toward the south. I decided the best course was south, and 1 Pz Group hit the Soviet line west of Kirovograd. Both Kirovograd and Krivoi Rog fell to the lead elements of XIV Pz Korps, and after the initial line was breached there was no second line nor were the cities defended. It appears 1 Pz Group is into the Soviet operational rear areas. Denepropetrovsk and Zaparozhye are the prize, if they can be taken quickly, as both still have plenty of factories that have not been moved.

[Scarz]

AGN

[Scarz]

AGC

[Scarz]

AGS (north)

[Scarz]

AGS (south)

[Scarz]

Losses to Date

[Klydon]

I think I see a lot of cut off panzers on the northern half of the map. Not sure why you would put your panzers in that situation. Granted you can get them back into supply, but they won't have any supplies/fuel to speak of. I also don't know that you will be bagging many units either unfortunately.

[Fishbed]

Yes, considering it could always be a random mud next turn, I would have gone for the mega Velikie pocket way instead... A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. The Pskov maneuver seems too narrow for its own good, and I am not sure that you deployed sufficient recon assets for such a push.

[Scarz]

Turn 7/8
For the most part very little to report this turn, as the infantry is still making its way forward in the AGC and AGS sectors, while AGN captures Pskov and fights its way toward Leningrad. Another mistake from last turn comes back to haunt me, as I was unable to open a path to a motorized unit in the AGN sector. I flew in as much supply as possible, and I will just have to hope the Soviets will be unable to cause the unit to surrender. I had hoped some big slashing movements deep into the Russians interior would find some running room, but it was amazing how many divisions the Soviets had on hand and were able to push out and around my panzer spearheads. I debated on turning 4 Pz Group southward for a Velikie Luki pocket, but opted for a deep lunge at Leningrad, as I thought if I turned the panzers south for the Velikie Luki pocket, I was giving up on Leningrad… I really would like to have turn 7 back to do over, as I should have gone for the Velikie Luki pocket rather than a deep penetration towards Leningrad, it really cost me, and allowed a large concentration of Soviet units to escape isolation.


Turn 9
I finally had some luck this turn in both AGS and AGN sectors. Maybe the big risks I took on turn 7 paid off, as the Soviets were very aggressive in coming forward and trying to surround my spearheads and it might have left them a bit thin in places as a result.

AGN
4 Pz Group breached the Soviet defenses northwest of Novgorod and race toward Leningrad, only to find much of the city lightly defended. I am not sure if I was able to isolate the defenders, as the ports along Lake Ladoga were not captured, but I hope the Finnish may have been activated. At any rate, this is good news, and may make up for some early mistakes in this sector.

AGC
This was the problem sector this turn, as 2 Pz Group was out of position and low on fuel, while 3 Pz Group was little better. I wanted to wait another turn before making AGC’s next movement, but with AGS getting its orders to cross the Dnepr this turn, AGC had to start its southerly drive now. My plan with AGC is to now drive south and east towards Bryansk and threaten a link up with AGS. I don’t have much hope they can meet with a mega pocket before the Soviets can escape, but it should unhinge all of the Soviet positions to their west.

AGS
It appears that the Soviets expected a push towards Dnepropetrovsk, and I may have crossed the river in an unexpected place. With the help of LIV Korps, 1 Pz Group crossed the Dnepr river east of Cherkassey and made another deep strike towards the north east and the prize of Kursk. Had I waited a turn, and with buildup, I might have made it all the way to Kursk, but I am satisfied with the more modest gains. Both Sumy and Poltava fell, and the Soviets units around Kiev are now at risk. I expect and hasty pull back towards the east, but the Russians may keep with their aggressive play and try to tar baby my panzer spearhead.

Finally in the far south, AGA is steadily pushing east, although there are no German divisions to give the army group punch, and the only help they can expect is from the Italians.

[Scarz]

AGN