The Blitz is on!

[carlkay58]

Southwestern Front: A counterattack against the 25 MD opens the pocket and allows the trapped RDs to try and filter out.

[carlkay58]

Southern Front: The 16 MD is surrounded and forced to rout. This opens a large gap for the 9A pocket to try and escape. The units can't move far, but the hole is open and there are sufficient Soviet units to try and keep it that way.

I have managed some good attacks that resulted in five retreats and one rout. That will subtract another BP to leave a total of two. It is becoming obvious that I will have to tweak the point system. This is our first time giving the Soviets the ability to reduce the points through counterattacks and not just by regaining territory. There will have to be some adjustments made and it probably will be over the next few turns to see what is possible. On the other hand, the 41b Rifle XX OB is coming on line and my RDs are going to be lucky if they have a CV of 2 in the future. This really cuts down on my ability to gather sufficient strength to counterattack because I will only have four or five CV per attacking hex soon.

This turn the casualties are Axis (7,575/194/4/21) and the Soviets (5,399/52/338/55). The totals so far are Axis (344,177/3,651/1,541/1,403) and Soviets (1,694,575/25,856/12,003/5,565). This maintains the Axis losses at about 40K per turn.

I rail out 20 ARMs from Tula. That uses just about all of the rail capacity. I count two Axis units nonZOCd. As in our past games, this penalty is being phased out as the line stabilizes. This will only come up again if there are some large pockets later on.

[carlkay58]

Axis Game Turn 11:

No BPs and not much movement of the front line this turn. However it appears that almost all of the AGN and AGC Panzer Corps have been taken into reserves. This does not bode well for the future.

Finland: We are into the passive time for the Finish front now. It will move when Leningrad falls or the Soviets decide to attack.

[carlkay58]

AGN: Not much of an advance, but the infantry is up and adjacent to the Soviet defensive lines. The Luga River line is breached at one point and will probably only survive another turn or two.

[carlkay58]

AGC: Not much movement here either, but the infantry is now holding the line. The Pripet Marshes is now becoming dangerous for the Soviets as the rail lines are now completely cut. It is time to pull back.

[carlkay58]

AGS: The pocket is reformed and now a two hex buffer separates them from the Soviet line. The Axis Panzer Corps are in the front line here and threatening to break through to the Dnepr.

[carlkay58]

Romania: The Romanians and Italians secure the pocket of 9A. The front line has now reached the Odessa fortification zone.

[carlkay58]

Soviet Turn 11:

Uncle Joe has made his statement last turn and is silent this turn. Several leaders in the Reserve and Bryansk Fronts are making good win/loss records while several of their divisions are on the way to make Guard status soon. Overall the Smolensk battles have done well for the Soviets as they have stopped the Axis offense and even forced it back some. My worry is the switch from the 41a RD TOE to the 41b RD TOE will drop my CVs too much to continue to counterattack successfully.

Northern Front: While the Finns may be willing to be quiet now, AGN is beginning to knock on Leningrad's door. The Luga River line is trying to hold as long as possible to buy more time for digging in.

[carlkay58]

Northwestern Front: 27A is building a defensive line behind the Volkhov River. The rest of the front is trying to hold up the Axis drive into the Valdai Mountains.

[carlkay58]

Reserve Front: Continuing to counter attack, the front is able to gain one hex along the majority of their line south of the Mezho River.

[carlkay58]

Bryansk Front: The Front has added an army from the Reserve Front (16A) and is now responsible for the defense of Smolensk. Their attacks force back the Axis line one hex along their front.

[carlkay58]

Western Front: The Pripet Marshes is still a fight, but the writing is on the wall and I am trying to pull out what I can while building up a line behind the Dnepr.

[carlkay58]

Southwestern Front: They are also pulling back out of the Pripet Marshes. The pocket is broken with attacks from outside and inside the pocket resulting in a gap being opened. Unfortunately the gap will not stand and the pocket will close back up next turn. 38A is committed by the Kharkov MD to aid the southern wing of the Southwestern Front.

[carlkay58]

Southern Front: Reserves are moved up to help the defend the southern flank. The Odessa Fortifications zone is ready to delay the Axis as long as possible. The 9A pocket is pretty firmed up and will probably be wiped out next turn.

I move ARMS from Nikolaev, Kremenchug, W. Moscow, and N. Moscow.

I know the Axis rail heads have caught up with the front lines. The improved supply situation and pulling the Panzer Corps out of the front lines in AGC and AGN will make the near future dangerous for me.
This turn's losses are Axis (7,027/203/3/13) vs Soviets (7,631/93/179/21). To date the losses are Axis (383,440/4,197/1,625/1,508) vs Soviets (1,788,711/27,548/12,291/5,968). Another turn of over 40K losses for the Axis. Of course only 7K of those were due to my attacks, so the Axis are losing 33K due to attrition and their own attacks.

I went 10 retreats out of 12 attacks this turn. This brings up the discussions we have been having on the BPs. We allowed the Soviets to negate BPs this game by one point for every five retreats. We have decided that the five retreats are too few and too easy for the Soviets. So we have decided that ten retreats is the minimum. So the BPs currently have returned to six with one lost this turn for a current total of five. Another point of discussion is that if BPs are negative on Turn 25, the Soviets will gain a level of victory.

[loki100]

this remains fascinating, so unusual to see a Soviet response of keeping so close to the axis forces - as you say the next turn could be bad news if he is rested and back at full supply

[carlkay58]

One of the most fascinating parts of this game has been fighting over terrain that I have rarely fought over as either side in 1941. I have learned a lot of how to handle the Soviets in 41 and my handling of them has evolved over the game. I just sent back turn 17 so I know some of what is coming, but the reports stand at what I wrote at the time. We hope to continue the game and see what it results in the future. But we hope to use the 'Milder 41 Winter' mod if possible.

[carlkay58]

Axis Game Turn 12:

MUD in the North Soviet Zone totally missing anywhere there are Axis units other than Finland. A MUD with anti-Soviet results.

Finland: The Finns sit still and watch the Soviets deal with the mud.

[carlkay58]

AGN: The Panzers show up as they expand the bridgehead over the Luga River and pocket some Soviet units along the Gulf of Finland.

[carlkay58]

AGC: The Western Front is slashed and almost pocketed by the rested Axis Panzers. The Pripet Marshes are becoming endangered and Gomel is threatened.

[carlkay58]

AGS: An entire Soviet Army vanishes in front of the new Axis push towards Cherkassy and the Dnepr River.