Scar attacks the Soviet Union (Scar v IdahoNYer)

[Scarz]

AGC

[Scarz]

AGS

[janh]

This does look a lot more promising now. Maybe a large Kiev pocket, which would be direly needed it seems. Good luck!

[Fishbed]

I didn't bury you yet, mind you

Good show in Leningrad though. You certainly had him surprised (and still there were units there, so you did good at battle too)
Still the basis of one of your penetrations invite heavy counters - not at the north or in the center, where your bottleneck is firmly held, but more so at the south. If he has units and plays like he likes to play, Idaho will put everything in the balance and try to rape your guys down there.

[Scarz]

Turn 10
The Russians are sure catching some breaks as mud hits the north Soviet zone. This wouldn’t be all bad except it catches all of AGC’s armor and two infantry armies. This unfortunate weather event will allow most of the Soviet divisions that were along the Dnepr to escape encirclement.

AGN
The Soviets retreated toward the city, and it looks like I will have no choice but to try and dig them out. The mud hit just east of Leningrad, so there was no hope of a quick push to the supply ports. I moved up some infantry into the lower part of the city and will try to take the city by storm next turn.

AGC
The panzer groups and two infantry armies were caught in a pocket of mud, killing any chance of completing the encirclement of the escaping Soviet divisions from the Dnepr line. The only bright side I see is that the Russians are on the run, and any line they try to take will not have been prepared in advance. I still plan to try and follow the original Moscow from the southwest idea, but next turn will be telling.

AGS
The Soviets ran their divisions from the Dnepr line towards the east, and without AGC helping close things off, most of them will escape. The panzers from 1 Pz Group were low on fuel and a long way from the railheads, so there was little they could achieve. Elements of XXXXVI and XXXXVIII Pz Korps pushed 10-20 more kms north, but it won’t be enough to slow the Russian retreat.

Turn 11

AGN
Suprisingly, the Soviets don't seem to be trying to defend the lake ports east of Leningrad. Good gains were made by AGN as Sviritsa is the only supply port still active for the Leningrad Defenders. Barring any unforeseen catastrophes, 4 Pz Group should capture the final port next turn. I really need 4 Pz Group elsewhere, so I will push hard to get them off the line and railing to AGC or AGS.

AGC
AGC is facing a carpet of Soviet units. I looked for a weak spot or two but didn’t really see anything promising, so the panzers moved into position close the Soviet MLR while the infantry from 4 and 9 Army’s closed the distance. One issue I am running into seems to be that the Russians are running faster than my infantry units can follow, and the panzers are at the end of the supply line, so getting good MPs is hard.

AGS
In the south, 1 Pz Group pushed on towards Kursk, but it is low on fuel with rail lines way back on the other side of the Dnepr. The infantry is closing fast, but I am going to have to pause soon to allow the rail heads to close up.

[Scarz]

AGN

[Scarz]

AGS

[Scarz]

Turn 12

AGN
4 Pz Group finds itself low on fuel, and the Russians have thrown 7-8 new divisions into the front to protect the last Leningrad port. I was able to move up next to the city, and cleared out a few divisions, but it will take another turn or two before I am ready to take the port.

AGC
Most of army group center is now closed up on the Soviet lines, with the Pz Groups ready for their next action. I am a little unsure of where that will be, as to the south 4 Pz Group is still low on fuel and may not be ready to help 2 and 3 Pz Groups on an attack to the east. I will have to see if the Soviets adjust or stay in their lines.

AGS
Kursk fell, but little else has happened. 6 Army is still struggling to catch up to the panzers and the rail line is a long ways away. I had hoped to make three attacks next turn, with 1 Pz Group, and both panzer groups from AGC, but the panzers may not have the fuel to pull it off, I will have to wait and see and then plan accordingly.

AGA
In the far south, the Rumanians are across the Dnepr and will try to close off the Crimea next turn from the north. I detached the 49th Mountain korps to assist the Rumanians, but this formation will be sorely missed by AGS.

[Scarz]

AGN

[Scarz]

AGA

[Flaviusx]

Scar, you're doing the Leningrad the hard way, man. Just force the Neva and be done with it, forget the other Lake Ladoga ports, the only one you need is that on the isthmus, and it's far easier to take. You're prolonging the campaign by AGN and prejudicing operations elsewhere as a result. The longer PG4 spins its wheels up there, the less likely you are to take other objectives.

[Klydon]

Yeah, being on the east side of the Volkov and in the swamps doesn't help your logistics either.

[Scarz]

Thanks Flaviusx. I thought I had to take all the lake ports to isolate the city. So is the city on reduced supply now?

Yeah Klydon, my guys are not getting much fuel over there...

[Scarz]

Turn 13

AGN
The final Leningrad lake port fell this turn, so 4 Pz Group has been pulled off the line and will be railed out next turn. I went ahead and gave the group refit orders to allow them to quickly gain replacements.

AGC
The carpet of Russian troops to the west of AGC has confounded me. They are in good defensive terrain, with river networks snaking through their positions, which make attacking through costly. As my plan has always been to approach Moscow from the south, I sent the AGC panzer formations to assist 1 Pz Group in isolating a large pocket of Soviets around Orel. I need to somehow turn the Russians again, and get make the battle more fluid now that my rail network has finally caught up.

AGS
1 Pz Group with help from AGC has pocketed a large force around the city of Orel. The supply network is still farther off than I wanted, so anything more ambitious than this quick encirclement seems out of the question. I suspect the Russians will make another pull back, and depending on their new lines, I will know if I want to head further east before swinging north, or make the run toward Moscow now.

[Scarz]

AGS

[Flaviusx]

Scar, as I understand it, the ability to supply Leningrad progressively degrades as you take the Lake Ladoga ports.

But if you really want to cut the Gordian knot for good in one shot, take Osinovets. Because without it, it doesn't matter how many Lake Ladoga ports you hold on to. They can't funnel supply to Leningrad without a destination port.

Furthermore, Osinovets is flat out easier to take. It's one port. And crossing the Neva is a gimme if you've organized AGN correctly. Once you reach the Neva river, it's simply a matter of crossing it. And even with a level 3 fort and reserves, sooner or later, the Axis will make the crossing and Osinovets is dead meat. No three Soviet divisions in 1941, no matter how good, well led, or backed up with reserves and SUs will prevent a crossing of the Neva. (They can delay said crossing...until you fail your reserve rolls. And they will fail at some point, even if you place your A team leaders along the entire command chain.) The Ladoga ports are a sideshow and the hard way to starve Leningrad. You cut off the city several turns ago and have been in a position to end the matter since then.

[Scarz]

Ok great, thanks for the advice. It will take some repositioning, but I will start the assaults now. It has definately cost me two turns on my adventure to get all the Lake ports to the east of the city.

[Walloc]

Edit. I forgotten u hadnt take the Northern most port(salmi) cuz soviets stopped the finns early. So forget the above(which isnt there any more) do as Flavio says!

[Scarz]

Turn 14

AGN
Pavlovo fell to the 291 ID this turn, so I should be able to start reducing Leningrad next turn. 41 PzK entrained and is headed towards AGC. Unfortunately LVI PzK was needed to help with the assaults into Leningrad, and will not be entrained till next turn. I am unsure of the best course for AGN once Leningrad falls. I would like to keep pushing east, to threaten the forces holding up the Finnish, but I will have to wait and see.

AGC
The Russians were able to open a corridor to the isolated units around Orel, so AGC rested 3 Pz Group, while the net was tightened around the trapped units. I don’t ebelive the Russians will be able to break into the trapped units this turn, and the reduction of the pocket is necessary to free up the panzers for the next mission. I was able to get a good count this turn, and it looks like 14 divisions plus an AT bde. Not a huge haul, but it will help.

AGS
XIV PzK was needed to hold the right shoulder of the encirclement at Orel, while the remained of 1 Pz Group repositioned a bit to the south. My plan is to try for one more large encirclement before the mud hit, then be ready for the last push when the ground hardens.

[Scarz]

AGN

Thanks for the tips guys, I went ahead and struck right into Leningrad this turn.