The Blitz is on!

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Romania: The Odessa Fortification zone is now cut off from overland connections. The 9A pocket is now destroyed.

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Soviet Game Turn 12:

The Axis Panzer units have rested and come back with a vengence in AGN and AGC. AGS does pretty well in forcing back the Soviet front line too.

Guard units are now here with four RDs becoming Guards and eight SUs (mostly artillery but including one sapper III). More RDs convert to the weaker 41b TOE. The 2nd Cavalry Corps commander, Pavel Belov, is promoted to General-Polkovnik.

Leningrad Front: Reinforced by the 48A from STAVKA reserves, the front trys to build up their defenses to slow down the Panzers. The pocketed units start to slide out of the trap.

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Northwestern Front: The front is completely defensive and trys to dig in behind the various river lines and in front of the Valdai in hopes that the Axis really does not want to come its way.

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Reserve Front: Actually capturing two hexes deep in its continued counter attack to the north of Smolensk.

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Bryansk Front: Continues its counter attacks to the south and front of Smolensk. The real gains come to the south of Smolensk.

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Western Front: Forces are moved around with the 10A trying to escape the Pripet Marshes while leaving some front line Axis units unZOCd. 3A builds a line of defense between the Panzers and Gomel and keeps a line of communications open to the nearly encircled 13A. The 4A starts an 'ooze' offensive and advances in the gaps between the Axis IDs defending the front lines in hopes of distracting some of the Panzer forces to the south. The penetrations threaten two Axis IDs with encirclement and almost recapture some hexes along the Dnepr.

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Southwestern Front: Attempts to breakthrough to relieve the pocket fail. The Kharkov MD throws its 38A to help seal the breach and keep the Axis from reaching the Dnepr. I fear that the next turn or two will see the Axis cross the river successfully.

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Southern Front: The line is thin but the Axis look to be occupied with the Odessa fortified zone. Hopefully this will occupy their attention for the next two or three turns before falling.

I move the ARMs from Stalino, Makeevka, and Gorlovka this turn.

The turn's losses are Axis (5,498/136/21/15) vs Soviet (9,291/104/128/36). The totals to date are Axis (423,208/4,758/1,712/1,669) vs Soviet (1,910,223/29,574/12,672/6,516). Note that the Soviets lost more than the Axis this turn. But the Axis still lost their 40K men to keep their losses going. German strength is now (3,350,388/33,768/2,515/2,750) vs the Soviet (4,767,902/40,774/4,298/3,818).

The switch in requiring the Soviets to win ten battles to negate a BP made a big difference this turn. I reached seven retreats in my first pass with ten combats. That got me looking for another three that I might win. I made another seven attacks but only forced two more retreats so I fail to reach the ten needed. In the meantime, those additional attacks increased my casualties above the Axis for this turn. This is what we were trying to get with the ability to negate BPs. So the BPs stand at five still. I have left some unZOCd Axis units in the Pripet Marshes ( of them) but I am relatively certain that this will not be enough for me to give up a BP for.

[carlkay58]

Axis Game Turn 13:

No BPs awarded but the Axis are beginning to move again.

Finland: A quiet front as everyone digs. Many of the frontline units are now brigades.

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AGN: The left hook led by the panzer forces are well beyond the Luga River now and pushing towards the Leningrad defenses.

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AGC: The Axis push back the Soviet front line around Smolensk but the Panzer forces then withdraw behind their infantry line. The attack towards the south reaches the outskirts of Gomel and a pocket is formed around the Dnepr defensive line. The Pripet Marshes also see a pocket formed. In both cases, the Soviet troops were not able to move out of trouble last turn because of the limiting terrain.

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AGS: The front line is closing on Kiev while a pocket is formed further south.

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Romania: The Odessa fortified zone is being collapsed rather faster than I would like. The front line is continuing to move eastwards beyond Odessa.

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Soviet Game Turn 13:

Uncle Joe leaves my leaders alone but the Axis do not. Ivan Muzychenko (6A commander) is killed and replaced by GENL Vladimir Kurdyumov. Vaily Khomenko (30A) is promoted to GENL. I get another Guards RD and a few more Guards SUs.

Leningrad Front: An attempt to further slow down the Axis left hook is made. Hopefully this will give another turn or two for further digging in at Leningrad. Another army's worth of reinforcements are sent to bolster the Armies already deployed in the area.

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Northwestern Front: Some reinforcements are railed to the northern and southern flanks to bolster their defenses. The majority of the front is digging in as quickly as possible.

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Reserve Front: The lost ground is recaptured and a few Axis IDs are thrown back again.

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Bryansk Front: The front continues to attack south of Smolensk and recaptures the lost ground after tossing a few Axis IDs back. The Front moves the 54A to backstop the Western Front's northern flank.

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Western Front: The pocket is broken by sneaking through a hole in the Axis line. The 10A is not able to break out to the east.

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Southwestern Front: The 5A is sent to help protect the Western Front's center and replace the hole left by the pocketed 10A. The Kharkov MD keeps the 38A in support to hold the line together.

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Southern Front: The TransCaucus MD throws the 34A into support behind the southern flank The pocket is easily broken with fierce counterattacks which opens a two hex hole for the troops to start to escape. The 9A is sent back to build a new army while the Coastal Army continues to hold on at Odessa.

I move the ARMs from Tula, Kalinin, and Moscow.

I manage to force 8 retreats out of 11 attacks, so no BP adjustment and the total remains five. The turn's losses are Axis (6,302/158/42/19) vs Soviet (6,796/62/42/48). Losses to date are Axis (464,783/5,457/1,903/1,819) vs Soviet (2,037,301/31,754/13,068/7,106). I am continuing to force the Axis to lose 40K men a turn. If I can keep this up, I should be able to hit my goal of 1M losses by turn 25.

The Axis has regained the initiative. My front line is causing casualties but the last few turns it has mostly been the Axis infantry taking them. The Panzer units are beginning to get involved again and hitting my front line and then taking shelter behind the infantry where it can. The drive on Leningrad is kicking it up a notch. I need to be able to hold on until mud but that may not be possible. Kiev will probably fall in the next few turns and the Dnepr will be breached shortly after. Odessa will last another turn or two at most and when it falls the drive on Rostov will shift into high gear although AGS Panzer forces are being worn down as much as I can.