The Red's 'll be crushed before Christmas...or not !

[VManteuffel]

Hello everybody !

After reading many of your AARs, I felt me ready to try my first PBEM.
I choose a well known opponent : Robert T. I met him on The Wargamer Forum.
We're true rookies, but your reports learned us a lot on this amazing game.
I hope we'll present you an interesting and challenging fight ! [:D]

I'll be on the OKH command and Robert'll play Crazy Josef !

Let's roll and enjoy the show !

http://youtu.be/fc-DgRO1SrQ






I made nearly 200k losses with 2500 vehicules destroyed in the first days of the invasion.
With the 2700 planes anihilated, it's a good result.

[Gabriel B.]

The main tennent of strategy is force on weak ,not force on strong .

And it is nothing weaker, than the center for the soviets .
Your main goal was to trap as many divisions on the byalostok minsk pocket, which is ok but :

-With so many units traped, 4th army would not hit the Dnepr in force by turn 4.
-2pz group could get cut off, in the woodlands south of Minsk (it lacks units to cross the Berezina on a broad front )
-soviet forces around Lida would also delay 9th army from hiting the Dnepr in force .
-the only thing that 2pzgr armor diverted south acheived, is to trap 7 units around Dubno .

[VManteuffel]

Thx for comments Gabriel B.
It's true that I dont take the Center option for the invasion. My main objectif is to storm the south part of Russia and Ukraine, to destroy as many industries that I can and to trap as many red units that my speed affords me.
But my turn 2 isn't so bad and gives me good opportunities for the future.

In the North, Robert doesn't try to delay me, except in Riga.
In the Center, he left too weak units between the Dnepr and my Panzers, and after a fierce fight, I broke his screen between Vitebsk and the Dnepr loop.
In the south, I use the huge mass of Panzers and Armored vehicules to penetrate deep in the direction of Kiev.

Except in the south, the pockets are cleared with not so many units involved in the process.






The Reds already suffered 780k casualties, which is a nice score (imo). And they lost 6600 vehicules, for a ratio of 47 vs 1 [X(] .

[Gabriel B.]

Some comments for soviet player now.

In turn 1 you lost some ground too easily .

In the north you have 5-6 expendable Nkvd regiments , they only cost 115- 117 rail capacity to trow in front of advancing armor .
By turn 2 the german player is more likely to encicle them instead of using Mp on them (very hard to rout ). This must be done with care thou, so you could link up with them in turn 2 . The area around Rezekne favours this .

Center , because the german player diverted armor south , a more agresive stance was afordable .
The Berezina and Ulla rivers would force the panzers to expend Mp in cross river atacks , paratroopers , Nkvd are best for this job, but must be backed by some infantry . This must be done to delay the german infantry even more.


South , use the airforce , if you know where a breakeout is likely , place airbases 5 hexes around the shoulders of the penetration, Interdiction would help a lot more than sending byplanes into reserve.
If encircled they could be relocated .

[VManteuffel]

In the turn 3, I had a bad surprise at the opening of the file....



My moves were really doomed by a massive fuel shortage, mostly in the north and the center. Despite this fact, I tried to optimize the opportunities. The final result is not so bad, imo.






The losses are increasing and nearly reach a million for the Reds. It sounds good to me, but the most important tasks are only to come. I dont have to miss them.

[Gabriel B.]

Turn 3 is when you outrace your supply line, it was really the time for HQ Build up and go for Vyasma the next turn .

plus your airbases are so far foward, that no fuel could be airlifted except from Romania .

[VManteuffel]

Game already stopped due to Robert's problems.
I'll search for another game soon....

[juret]

sorry, i liked the way u presented the game and your maps with info boxes. god luck with new opponent

[VManteuffel]

Thx a lot [;)]
I hope to be back in a few days with a new opponent.
It's hard to find newbies like me in this game [:)]