The Blitz is on!

[carlkay58]

The Bend: The mountain army attacks and eliminates the bridgehead on the northern portion of the bend. Another set of counterattacks reduces the eastern bridgehead back to a single hex.

[carlkay58]

Crimea: There is not much I can do here other than send in some more reserves and try to 'ooze' into places that may threaten some Axis supplies.

I attack everywhere I could get decent odds and go 8 retreats out of 13 attacks. Not enough to reduce the BP count but some of those retreats were very important.

Casualties this turn were Axis (9,357/226/124/4) vs Soviet (8,737/91/6/38). Totals to date are now Axis (708,689/8,668/3,130/2,580) vs Soviet (2,672,318/41,178/14,720/10,196). The OOBs show the Germans at (3,362,111/34,641/2,347/2,902) vs Soviet (5,516,570/44,607/4,776/4,942). I have not managed to hit the 1M mark for Axis casualties that I had set for myself.

BP count is now at six.

[carlkay58]

Axis Game Turn 23:

Blizzard in the North Soviet Zone and Snow everywhere else.

Finland: Continues to be static.

[carlkay58]

AGN: The Axis expand their holdings south of Leningrad by a hex or two along the entire northern section on the line. Velikie Luki finally falls to the Axis.

[carlkay58]

AGC: The Gomel pocket continues to grow deeper. Some advances occur in the Smolensk area as the city itself is now in the front lines.

[carlkay58]

AGS: The Panzer forces cross the Dnepr and come close to cutting off Kiev. The bridgehead between D & Z-Towns is withdrawn back behind the river.

[carlkay58]

Romania: The Soviet 34A is completely wiped out heralding a major Axis victory. The Crimean Peninsula is now cut off to the north.

[carlkay58]

Soviet Game Turn 23:

Sergei Rudenk, commander of the new Volkyov Air Command, has his air rating reduced to 5. Mikhail Kirponos, Southwestern Front commander, is promoted to GENA. I have had seven leaders KIA and three EXC. Obviously some of the leader casualties are not reported in the Logistics Phase Event Log. I would say that those leaders who are lost during enemy phases probably get missed in the report.

Leningrad: I am not really able to do much other than shift some units around and try to maximize the CVs I have for defense.

[carlkay58]

Gomel: I counter attack and force back some Axis Panzer units. I come close to cutting the pocket but I just can't manage it. He will probably have to spend the next two turns pulling back out of this potential disaster during the blizzard. We are playing with the new mild winter rules but how mild will it really be? I am moving another army into the area and do some reorganizations between the Western and Bryansk Fronts to improve the C&C in the area.

[carlkay58]

Kiev: I don't see me being able to hold on to this area. Kiev will fall in the next two turns, I just have to hold up that Panzer bridgehead for those turns.

[carlkay58]

Crimea: I think the peninsula is safe and he should have to work pretty hard to capture anything more of import in this area before the blizzard.

There are two turns until Blizzard. He does not have much of a chance to do a last moment drive and pick up any additional BPs for a victory shift. Things seem to be pretty much set for Blizzard.

No picture here - I forgot to snap one.

[carlkay58]

Axis Game Turn 24:

Snow everywhere this turn.

Finland: No change.

[carlkay58]

AGN: My forces are driven behind the Volkhov River from Posadnikovo to Lake Ilmen. I continue to be pushed back in the Velikie Luki area.

[carlkay58]

AGC: I am pushed back a few hexes in the Smolensk area. The Gomel pocket is growing and things are getting worse here. I thought he would withdraw before the blizzard hits but it looks like he is trying to get some IDs into the area and see if he can hold it. It is threatening to divide Western Front in two and possibly threaten the Bryansk Front too. Chernigov has been recaptured by the Axis.

[carlkay58]

AGS: Kiev is still mine but it is now cut off. The Southwestern Front has dissolved to the south of Kiev with the only organized group being the 38A which is now cut off. The pocket will be easy to escape, but I will have to find some troops to fill the line back up. D-Town has fallen to the Axis Panzer troops.

[carlkay58]

Romania: The Crimean Peninsula is now under siege from German IDs reinforced by some Romanian troops. The Panzer forces are driving east and threatening to pocket the 49A and capturing Z-Town.

[carlkay58]

Soviet Game Turn 24:

Pavel Kurochkin, commanding 43A, is promoted to GENP. Pavel Zhigarev, commander of the Kalinin Air Command, is retired by Uncle Joe who just does not like Air Commanders at all. Sergei Khudyakov takes over command of the Kalnin Air Command and has his admin rating reduced to 5.

Leningrad: The defenses to the north of the Neva River appear to be holding. He is cleaning up the west bank of the Volkhov River too easily for me. I hope to be able to recapture Leningrad in my counter attacks, but it will be hard to do.

[carlkay58]

Gomel: I can move next to the Axis units, but I am unable to really launch any counter attacks. This is another area for me to attack when the blizzards hit. This should be easier than Leningrad and potentially a large pay off if I succeed.

[carlkay58]

Southwestern Front: The Kiev area is seeing the Southwestern Front crumbling. I hope to rescue a large portion of the 38A, but it will be a fight. Blizzard may save them but it will be tight.

[carlkay58]

Crimea: I pull out as much as I can and still keep him ZOCd. This is the first time since about turn seven that I have had to worry about keeping up the ZOCs because of the breakthrough in the Southwestern Front and the threatened pocketing of another army in this area.

There is one more turn until the Blizzard hits. We are playing with the Mild Winter settings and that should make some difference, but I have some nice targets for counter attacks. The best area with a great potential to kill off Panzers is the Gomel area. We shall see what happens.

The BP total stands at six.