The Blitz is on!

[carlkay58]

Axis Game Turn 9:

Another MUD turn, but no real effect as it is in the Europe Zone. No additional BPs as the Axis are grinding it out and slowly advancing.

Finland: Pushing back a Soviet ID and slowly approaching the No Attack Zone north of Leningrad.

[carlkay58]

AGN: The Narva River line is blown through and the Axis are advancing on the Luga River. Pressure is kept up by the Axis Infantry while the Panzer units have pulled out of the front line. My Recon will have to find them.

[carlkay58]

AGC: Vitebsk falls and four RDs are pocketed. I don't think I wil be able to free them up. The Axis continue to punch with their infantry and then their Panzers to gain further ground in the land bridge and their Dnepr bridge heads. The Axis Cavalry XX is driving to cut out the western Pripet Marsh.

[carlkay58]

AGS: The Axis solidify their line and appear to have taken two of their Panzer Corps out of the line. A pocket with four XXs is pretty securely made.

[carlkay58]

Romania: The German XXs help drive the Romania offensive and are close to the Odessa defenses.

[carlkay58]

Soviet Game Turn 9:

Commanders are stable and Uncle Joe continue to keep himself out of the situation.

Northern Front: 7A continues to dig in. 23A has almost completely pulled back into the Leningrad defenses. 28A continues to defend in front of the Luga River line and keeping the Axis units in ZOCs. 22A is forming up the Luga River defenses behind the 28A. 20A is defending the Luga River from Novorod to Divenskaya.

[carlkay58]

Northwestern Front: 27A is screening in front of the Northern Front's 20A. 8A is defending forward with 2 RDs while the rest refit and dig in behind the Polist River. 11A is defending the Valdai Hills. STAVKA commits the 32A from its reserves to move into position behind the Velikie Luki area. It will be in position to take over the defense of this area next turn.

[carlkay58]

Reserve Front: 24A is preparing to be relieved by the 32A. 30A fails to open the pocket up. 31A combines to force back the 4 PD. 16A shifts to the south and counterattacks the 18 MD and forces it back.

Bryansk Front: 21A takes over the defense of Smolensk and launches a counterattack to push back the 3 PD and 10 MD. 43A forms up to attack next turn to the south of Smolensk.

[carlkay58]

Western Front: 4A continues to make the Axis have to fight for every hex and counter attack the 29 MD but it fails to push them back. 13A continues to defend along the Dnepr in front of Korma and Gomel. 3A continues to hold onto the northeastern Pripet Marshes although they are getting very thin. 10A continues to do the same to the northwestern Pripet Marshes. I would have sent a STAVKA reserve army into here, but the last turn charge by the Axis Cavalry XX makes that impracticable.

[carlkay58]

Southwestern Front: 5A continues to defend the southwestern section of the Pripet Marshes. 26A defends from the Pripet Marshes down to the Zhitomir area with a counterattack that drives the Slovakian 1 ID back. 19A screens the Kiev defenses and pushes the 296 ID back. 6A defends behind the Sinyukha River.

[carlkay58]

Southern Front: 37A defends behind the Sinyukha River. 49A defends from Savran to Ivanovka (w). 9A continues to work to escape the pocket and make it to safety. Coastal Army continues to dig in and defend Odessa.

I manage 5 retreats out of 7 battles, so another BP is subtracted leaving three. The casualties this turn were Axis (4,581/107/54/18) against the Soviet (4,507/56/114/1,269). Totals so far are Axis (303,739/3,063/1,476/29) and Soviet (1,549,992/23,855/11,111/5,140). I continue with the Axis losing 40K men.

I rail out 19 of the ARM factories from Rostov. I spot no unZOCd Axis units so it should be safe there.

<There truly were none - so a total of three BPs.>

[carlkay58]

Axis Game Turn 10:

The weather is fine and no BPs were awarded.

Finland: The Finns have pushed the Soviets back to the Leningrad defensive area. The northern area is just digging in and the line in the south has begun to do the same. This area will probably be quiet for a while, at least until the Axis get closer to taking Leningrad.

[carlkay58]

AGN: One Panzer Corps has reached the Luga River while the other one sits back behind the line. Probably refitting and possibly an HQBU. The Luga line will not hold for long and neither will the Polist/Lovat river lines south of Lake Ilmen. I hope for Leningrad to hold out until mud, but it probably will not.

[carlkay58]

AGC: It looks like a turn of reorganizing and adjusting has gone on. All of the Panzer XXs have been pulled back. I suspect that the next turn or two are going to be real nasty.

[carlkay58]

AGS: A pocket of six RDs is made in front of the main Kiev defensive line along with capturing one of the fortified hexes. The rest of the front is advancing into contact with the rest of the line.

[carlkay58]

Romania: 9A is surrounded again with the newly arrived Italians helping. Odessa is being approached at a slow pace.

[carlkay58]

Soviet Game Turn 10:

GENA Dmitry Pavlov armor rating improves to 5. Uncle Joe finally steps in and executes the NW Air Command commander Aleksei Ionov and replaces him with Fyodor Astakhov. My forces grow weaker as more divisions switch over to the 41b TOE.

Northern Front: Digging in along the Luga River, the Leningrad defenses, and north of Lake Ladoga.

[carlkay58]

Northwestern Front: Digging in and providing a screen from Novgorod to Velikie Luki.

[carlkay58]

Reserve and Bryansk Front: Continue to counter attack the Axis front lines. Five different attacks are successful, pushing back Axis IDs in the Smolensk area. Keeping the pressure on the Axis infantry and causing more casualties.

[carlkay58]

Western Front: Continue to fight over the Pripet Marshes while defending the Dnepr line and backstopping along the Prony River.