The Red Menace (Topeverest vs Admiral Kamikaze)

[topeverest]

Its pretty obvious to me I am going to have A pretty bad turn around Smolensk next turn. If he turns south, he will bag a up to 25 units, and if he turns north, he will get a bunch of land, potentially breaking out, which is the worst possible outcome. I am figuring that I didn't retreat fast enough, but I am struggling with how I could have gotten out of this one. In any event there it is.

[topeverest]

I am feeling the effects of too many units around Moscow or just generally not knowing good tactics. This is a collapse waiting to happen.

[topeverest]

Here is the last of it. Sent a few units up to at least temporarily bolster defenses. Wont hold unless I am lucky

[topeverest]

5 turns in, I am understandably struggling to learn as much as I can. This past turn revealed my inexperience, and that is frustrating. While I know we all want to be the expert the first time we play, I have many lessons to learn. At a minimum I am beginning to see how my opponent thinks about blitzing, and that is valuable. how many turns until the mud sets in for good...that's just what I need!

[SigUp]

It's perhaps already too late for that, but right now there is no reason to push so many units right in front of Moscow. These units should have been busy digging around Vyazma. Terrain is your friend and the terrain north and south of Vyazma, behind the upper Dnepr and Desna is quite good. It's possible to build up 1-2 hexes deep of level 2 forts (that's what loki did in our game) and assaulting such a line is quite costly and slow, even more so if you get reserve activations. Anyway, make sure to defend the hills behind Velikie Luki / Valdai. As for the Finnish front, no need to defend the Isthmus, there is nothing to be gained by that. Just get back to Leningrad and use the units elsewhere. Right now you are severely overstrength there. In Karelia pull back to the Janis and delay him, before conducting a slow withdrawal to the Svir.

[Tom Hunter]

If you play with non-random weather 18-21 are mud, 22-24 snow, 25-37 are blizzard. Blizzard gets progressively less severe as the Germans adapt (or the guys without warm socks freeze to death, I'm not sure which) so your best attacks are in December.

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: topeverest

5 turns in, I am understandably struggling to learn as much as I can. This past turn revealed my inexperience, and that is frustrating. While I know we all want to be the expert the first time we play, I have many lessons to learn. At a minimum I am beginning to see how my opponent thinks about blitzing, and that is valuable. how many turns until the mud sets in for good...that's just what I need!

You don't seem to be doing that badly. Remember that a competent German will keep on hitting you with fresh blows all the way to October. In particular, if they are good at letting the Panzers rest, every 2/3 turns you will get turned over by a fresh way of 40+ MP tank and motorised divisions. Add to that, by about mid-August, you can't pull back much so that means the infantry will be in contact.

It can be hugely dispiriting to open a turn and see your carefully constructed defense line in ruins and most of the rifle divisions now 'unready' (yep, I'm looking at you SigUp [8D]), but thats the nature of 1941.

My own view is it less a war between the CVs and more that you are at war with the German MPs. So if a given line makes them pay in terms of time, that is critical.

The other thing to do is to forget (at least till October) about a real strategic reserve. Bring the fresh units up to behind Moscow/around Rostov etc, let them have a turn or so to build up and then chuck them into the struggle. Start thinking about winter in October, when you may well want to identify the core of the armies you want to counterattack with.

[topeverest]

Work continues to be a dissipating force in my ability to post turns. This probably will continue. The Germans pushed east at his two strength points and the Ruskies continued a gradual withdrawal. There was far less blitz penetration than I feared, but there is no stopping it. I am saving as much armor as I dare, and trying to keep it together. I gradually withdrew from Finns.

Things get tougher next turn as the Germans will emerge out of the Pripyt marshes, and the Leningrad probably is cut off.

[topeverest]

I conducted a clean general withdrawal to prevent a salient at Kiev.

[topeverest]

Germans threw themselves at Ruskies to get Kiev, which still is pretty well covered.

[topeverest]

I was quite surprised that the germans did not break out. He did take Smolensk. The battle for Moscow is next. I feel much better about holding Moscow.

[topeverest]

This is the hole to be sure. I am not sure where the forces will come from to slow down the enemy.

[topeverest]

Lost Hango before I could withdrawal.

Question - can I supply Leningrad by lake through those ports?

[Tom Hunter]

The Fins will not attack units in Leningrad south of the no attack line. You have to keep troops with combat value on the line, but once you do that you are set, so can just retreat.

If Leningrad falls then the Fins can attack South of the line.

[hfarrish]

ORIGINAL: topeverest

Lost Hango before I could withdrawal.

Question - can I supply Leningrad by lake through those ports?

Man, that is the biggest waste of fighting units I have ever seen (no offense). That cavalry is incredibly valuable against Germans where it can screen and also help break pockets and cut off deep spearheads, particularly in the South. It is totally wasted on Karelia. A good player maybe can hold the Finns in the far north (no one bothers to try North of Leningrad) but even then I would put a bunch of FZs on the no attack line and forget about it. If Leningrad falls, the Finns can attack but even then a marginal screen can slow them down significantly.

[hfarrish]

ORIGINAL: Tom Hunter

The Fins will not attack units in Leningrad south of the no attack line. You have to keep troops with combat value on the line, but once you do that you are set, so can just retreat.

If Leningrad falls then the Fins can attack South of the line.

FZs are ok as well. The Sovs have an AP glut in this period and I generally like to put FZs here and then once they are "fighting" units pull back the real divisions to help hold up the Germans. 32 or so APs is a fair trade off for four divisions to start digging in on the Luga or the hills.

[topeverest]

Another turn where the Germans did not advance as much as I feared. Army Group North forced the Narva River, and I retreated to the Luga Line. I also am invested the rough south and east of Novgorod. The enemy has chosen mainly to broaden his advances around Smolensk rather than push east. I must assume based on the battles he was trying to pocket to the south, but ran into too much defense in depth. The enemy advanced near Vyazma, Further south, I was overstrengthed around Kiev. For better or worse he gave it everything he hadin trying to pocket and push through the city. He finally took the city, but he paid dearly. I still hold the hills to the southeast, and he hasn't cross the river. I have significant strength there. The only reason I didn't counterattack is the strategic salient that would develop. In any event. I have pushed a number of armored and motorized divisions to the rear for a winter offensive, and my unit density is coming up. I have spent most of my rail on moving factories and the rest pushing units north from the south. This turn alone I moved about 10 divisions. Lastly I replaced two front commanders and began filling out armies and right sizing commands. That has a long ways to go.

[topeverest]

I am withdrawing with little pressure, except in the general vicinity of Kiev.

[topeverest]

There is no pressure from the marshes up to the Smolensk blitz. Leningrad area factories are now completely relocated, and I organized forces into armies. The luga line has strength, but my opponent is using the massive blitz approach, putting 6 or 9 of his strongest units in an attack and forcing the river with massive strength. I don't really have an answer at this point. he is a methodical attacker to be sure, and I cant be strong everywhere. I am still debating withdrawing from Leningrad area. The Moscow defensive zone has multilayered forts, and for better or worse we are going to have some heavy fighting here, unless he stops, which seems unlikely. I like my chances to hold.

As always there are risks to a pocket breakout, and loading each turn is Russian roulette to be sure. The two weakest points are driving due south or north from Smolensk. There may be enough depth there to prevent a general breakout, and there may not be.

[topeverest]

A few questions -
is there a limit to the number of armies that can be deployed under a front? Do they count against points total?
I don't seem to be able to build many types of brigades. Is there an 'activation' date for these brigades?
I need help thinking about airpower. While I am moving to mass the airpower for a winter offensive, I am pretty in the dark on tactics.