delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

[delatbabel]

At the landbridge forward units of the Voronezh Front create a small left hook but are not able to push across the Berezina.

[delatbabel]

Serious fighting occurs at the Dnepr bend. an extra tank army of the SW front is thrown in and manages to liberate the trapped tank corps and isolate the LSAH PzGr division on the wrong side of the Dnepr. Meanwhile tank corps also make a break due east of Kiev and cavalry and tanks from the Transcaucasus front makes another breakthrough near that. It's looking tasty. I hadn't envisaged a major assault here but the opportunity presented itself.

[delatbabel]

South of Z-town the furniture removalists have been called in again.

[delatbabel]

[center]9th September 1943[/center]

Unexpectedly, the Germans run in the north again. The Finns have reinforced their line north of Lagoda. LSAH has not escaped and will be put back in the toy box.

[delatbabel]

I pulled out the tank army belonging to the SW front that was taking territory north of Riga -- no point using them as armoured scouts so they head back to the rail lines. NW front advances and the cavalry and tank units of Kalinin Front take up some territory.

[delatbabel]

At Leningrad, Pavlovo and Osinovets are liberated, while the Northern Front units continue to push forwards.

[gingerbread]

Are you seeing any problem with getting replacement Rifle Squads to Mech Corps, in particular if Tank elements are brought up to 100% (or you TOE setting) while the Rifle element is not?

[delatbabel]

At the landbridge, Voronezh Front units continue to plug away but aren't able to make serious inroads. I suspect he's going to have to give up those swamp hexes though. I have pulled one army back for refit and pushed Western Front units forwards to take up the ground. The Berezina line looks like it's going to be tough, however.

[delatbabel]

In the Dnepr bend I used the SW Front armour as forward scouts, kicking some depleted infantry units back across the Dnepr. Meanwhile infantry from the Central Front bagged LSAH and also pulled off a larger encirclement with some Rumanians, Slovaks and Germans all caught on the wrong side of the river. I suspect I will need my artillery, currently in use at Leningrad, to get across the Dnepr.

[delatbabel]

The hex adjacent to Z-town on the NE side has been taken. The drinks cabinet moves inexorably forwards.

[STEF78]

The CV's of most germans units looks very low!

Can we have a view of OOB and entrechement?

[delatbabel]

He's doing well with what he has but I've been eroding his CVs all summer. I should say that the prequel to my landbridge assault bagged 8 german divisions. I had been bashing away south of Z-town for some time during the winter to little effect, and in the mud season railed all of the tanks and artillery from that area northwards. I suspect gadjan didn't do enough recon to spot that and I opened summer with a good breakthrough and encirclement. As always, that cost a lot of OOB numbers and hence CVs across the front.

The German CVs are quite high in some areas -- especially in the Donbas, around the Berezina and the units that got away from the Narva line (which I suspect are refitting on the Daugava line south of Riga). In other places they are quite threadbare.

I will try to get an OOB next turn.

I take the tactic of conserving my tanks throughout 42, doing hit and runs with them to gain experience and morale until they are high in morale and experience. I then do the same with my mech corps when I first create those (you will spot I think 3 guards mech corps in my OOB). Then when they are all up to spec I go hitting front line german units, especially panzers, anywhere I can get a win. I have been known to attack every hex up and down the line, not trying to get a breakthrough, just trying to fight a lot. I find that this has the effect of lowering the German (and especially the axis allied) OOB faster than anything.

I probably lost 10 - 12 battles against the Finns before I won one, but their OOB declined slowly over time since they don't get replacements very fast. Now I'm winning nearly every battle against them, unless they are heavily fortified like in Leningrad. I find that once the Finnish OOB drops below about 220,000 their units break very easily.

[delatbabel]

OOB as requested.

Note that the German OOB has dropped from about 3.6m at the start of summer. It's mostly been grinding attacks, apart from LSAH and about 8 divisions that I caught in my initial offensive, I have not caught any units in pockets all campaign.

[delatbabel]

[center]16th August 1943[/center]

A bit of terrain has been surrendered -- the slow walk back to Riga continues in the north and (hooray!) steppe front has been allowed to move forwards. I have to admit to a bit of bluff there, although Steppe Front was heavily involved in collapsing the German line in front of Smolensk at the start of summer, they are my weakest and greenest units and have nothing in the way of backup (artillery or tanks). I was really just hoping to hold the river line with them until backup could be provided but now they can march across it at will.

[delatbabel]

Bang Boom! 9 artillery divisions let fly and we're into Leningrad. Also manage to expand the bridgehead over the river and the Finns take flight. In the north the Finns have been worn down to the point of collapse. Vyborg is in sight. I really need this over because I need those troops (Northern and Volkhov fronts) further south.

[delatbabel]

Everyone closes in on the Riga line and we see the first taste of what we're going to face crossing that river. I guess we will sit and wait until the artillery are freed from up north or the rivers freeze over. The tank army of the SW Front that was helping out here has gone back to the railroad to refit.

[delatbabel]

At the landbridge I also pull the tanks back to rest. The Germans have given ground and we're across the southern Dvina. Best let the rifle troops do the walking forwards at this stage, although I'll keep the tanks hanging around here for the next phase. By then hopefully we will have some artillery down here as well. My line isn't as strongly packed as I need it to be for a major breakthrough, that will have to wait until one of the Fronts up north is freed up.

[delatbabel]

At the Dnepr some furious fighting and gadjan's troops escape my net. I decided this turn that speed was more important than POWs and so I decided not to try another encirclement (which would only slow me down), and just push the weaker forces back as fast as I could to farm some wins and morale, while giving him the opportunity to pull everything else back behind the Dnepr (which I am guessing he will next turn).

I'm holding the front line in front of Kiev with tank armies at the moment. Rifle troops will need to come from further north to give the tanks a rest. There were some weak troops in front of the river that the tanks had no problems kicking across, but any further advance will need infantry and artillery.

[delatbabel]

At the southern front it's all pants. I managed to consolidate some gains but other than that I'm not going anywhere.

I put down 6 new artillery divisions this turn. I'm guessing I will need those to get anywhere here.

[delatbabel]

At this point I also have to add that in the entire history of me playing WitE I have never before seen a guards army. I thought they were a myth. Now I have 3, 2 in Central Front (side by side along the Desna) and 1 in Western Front.