Struggling in the East - SigUp vs. loki

[SigUp]

Aftermath: 31st July 1941 - Morning

As August approached, the speed of the Soviet withdrawals has slowed down considerably. Around Leningrad Northern Front has completed its retreat into Leningrad proper and behind the Volkhov river. STAVKA doesn't seem willing to hold the city at all costs, so speed will be essential for Army Group North.

In the centre the Red Army continues to strengthen the main defensive line centered around Vyazma, while forward divisions behind Dnepr and Desna are to buy them time. Furthermore a new line of resistance in work has been spotted from Kaluga through Orel to Maloarchangelsk.

In the Ukraine the Soviet 5th Army maintains a strong presence around Kiev. The Dnepr defense between Kiev and the German bridgehead near Kremenchug has been thinned out. At the same time divisions have been spotted defending the Psel river. The bridgehead of 1st Panzer Group itself was subject to numerous bombing missions, as well as a major counterattack by three of the Red Army's strongest tank divisions. While SS Wiking was still regrouping after the failed attack on 30th Tank Division, 16th Army assaulted its positions with 13th, 17th and 57th Tank Division. After a hard struggle with 1.000 men lost Obergruppenführer Steiner decided to take the division back behind the Dnepr. Soviet losses were also significant, of the 653 AFVs attacking, 436 were taken out, robbing the three divisions of much strength.

In the air war the Red Airforce continued its policy of numerous harassing airstrikes against the German panzer formations in the Centre and South. The Luftwaffe on the other hand executed five interdiction missions using Ju-88s with heavy escorts. No German aircraft was lost, while 15 intercepting Soviet planes were shot down.

Monthly Report


Thanks to Callistrid and LLv34_Snefens for the idea with the big map and shading. [:)]

The month of July has seen the Wehrmacht take much territory and completing the second stage of Operation Barbarossa. In the North Leningrad was isolated, in the Centre Smolensk was secured, while in the South the Dnepr was breached. On the other hand these advances have taken the German divisions far beyond the effective range of rail supply, with repairs only slowly catching up towards the end of the month. By 31st July rail repairs have reached Petseri in the North, Polotsk in the Centre, Volochinsk in the Ukraine and Tiraspol in Bessarabia.

Losses

Up until 31st July the Axis forces logged in over 130.000 men in casualties. Of those 35.205 were killed and 653 were missing in action. Moreover, 934 guns and 897 AFVs were destroyed. Of the AFV losses 276 were Panzer I and II, 206 were Panzer III, 241 were Panzer 35(t) and 38(t) and 96 were Panzer IV. In the same timespan the Axis airforces lost 311 combat and 99 reconnaissance aircraft.

Red Army losses after the opening battles were modest. In five weeks around 1.2 million men were lost. 61.123 to fatal injuries and 800.812 to German POW camps. 15.115 guns were destroyed and the tank stocks were reduced by 11.234, mostly worthless T-26 and BT-7s. Of the more valuable types, 823 T-34 and 329 KV-1 were lost. The Red Airforce meanwhile lost 4.254 planes.

OOB

On the 31st July 1941 the German forces in the East consisted of 3.475.829 men, 35.153 guns, 2.872 AFVs and 3.345 aircraft. The Red Army continued its growth and stood at 4.483.634 men, 49.470 guns, 5.502 AFVs and 4.882 planes.

Heeresgruppe Nord (v. Leeb)

16. Armee (Busch) - 243.693 men, 2.690 guns, 21 AFVs
II. AK (v. Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt) - 4 infantry divisions
X. AK (Hansen) - 4 infantry divisions
XXVIII. AK (v. Wiktorin) - 4 infantry divisions

18. Armee (v. Küchler) - 252.486 men, 2.768 guns, 19 AFVs.
I. AK (Model) - 3 infantry divisions
XXVI. AK (Wodrig) - 3 infantry divisions
XXXVIII. AK (v. Chappuis) - 3 infantry divisions
L. AK (Lindemann) - 3 infantry divisions

Panzergruppe 4 (Hoepner) - 201.286 men, 2.056 guns, 374 AFVs
XXXXI. AK (mot.) (Reinhardt) - 2 panzer divisions, 1 motorized division
LVI. AK (mot.) (v. Manstein) - 1 panzer division, 1 motorized division, 1 SS divisions
LI. AK (Reinhard) - 4 infantry divisions

Heeresgruppe Mitte (v. Bock)

2. Armee (v. Weichs) - 90.283 men, 854 guns
XXXV. AK (Kämpfe) - 4 infantry divisions

4. Armee (v. Kluge) - 311.629 men, 3.499 guns, 58 AFVs
VII. AK (Fahrmbacher) - 3 infantry divisions
IX. AK (Hell) - 3 infantry divisions
XIII. AK (Felber) - 3 infantry divisions
XXXXIII. AK (Heinrici) - 3 infantry divisions
LIII. AK (Weisenberger) - 3 infantry divisions

9. Armee (Strauss) - 270.956 men, 3.000 guns, 40 AFVs
VIII. AK (Heitz) - 3 infantry divisions
XX. AK (Materna) - 3 infantry divisions
XXIII. AK (Schubert) - 3 infantry divisions
XXXXII. AK (Kuntze) - 4 infantry divisions

Panzergruppe 2 (Guderian) - 221.146 men, 2.420 guns, 717 AFVs
1. K.D.
XII. AK (Schroth) - 3 infantry divisions
XXIV. AK (mot.) (v. Schweppenburg) - 2 panzer divisions, 2 motorized divisions
XXXXVII. AK (mot.) (Lemelsen) - 2 panzer divisions, 1 motorized divisions

Panzergruppe 3 (Hoth) - 224.753 men, 2.360 guns, 691 AFVs
V. AK (Ruoff) - 2 infantry divisions
VI. AK (Forster) - 2 infantry divisions
XXXIX. AK (mot.) (Schmidt) - 2 panzer divisions, 2 motorized divisions
LVII. AK (mot.) (Kuntzen) - 2 panzer divisions, 1 motorized division, 1 brigade

Heeresgruppe Süd (v. Rundstedt)

6. Armee (v. Reichenau) - 250.329 men, 2.635 guns
XVII. AK (Kienitz) - 4 infantry divisions
XXIX. AK (Obstfelder) - 3 infantry divisions
XXXXIV. AK (Koch) - 2 infantry divisions
LV. AK (Vierow) - 3 infantry divisions

11. Armee (v. Schubert) - 275.078 men, 2.724 guns, 21 AFVs
XI. AK (v. Kortzfleisch) - 3 infantry divisions
XXX. AK (v. Salmuth) - 2 infantry divisions, 1 airlanding division
XXXIV. AK (Schaal) - 3 infantry divisions
LIV. AK (Hansen) - 3 infantry divisions

17. Armee (v. Stülpnagel) - 261.377 men, 2.751 guns, 82 AFVs
IV. AK (v. Schwedler) - 4 infantry divisions
XXXIX. GK (Kübler) - 2 infantry divisions, 1 jäger division, 1 mountain division
LII. AK (v. Briesen) - 2 infantry divisions, 2 jäger divisions
Slow. AK (Pulanich) - 2 infantry divisions

Panzergruppe 1 (v. Kleist) - 241.215 men, 2.779 guns, 871 AFVs
III. AK (mot.) (von Mackensen) - 2 panzer divisions, 1 motorized division
XIV. AK (mot.) (v. Knobelsdorff) - 1 panzer division, 1 SS division, Großdeutschland
XXXXVI. AK (mot.) (v. Vietinghoff) - 1 panzer division, 1 SS division, LSSAH
XXXXVIII. AK (mot.) (Kempf) - 2 panzer divisions, 1 motorized division, 1 brigade

Armata 3 (Dumitrescu) - 162.855 men, 1.463 guns, 106 AFVs
4 infantry divisions
Corp. de Munte (Avramescu) - 1 infantry division, 3 mountain brigades
Corp. de Cav. (Racovita) - 1 armoured division, 2 cavalry brigades

Armata 4 (Ciuperca) - 230.351 men, 1.898 guns, 4 AFVs
Corp. 2 (Macici) - 2 infantry divisions
Corp. 3 (Atanasiu) - 3 infantry divisions, 1 cavalry brigade
Corp. 5 (Levanti) - 3 infantry divisions
Corp. 11 (Constantinescu-Claps) - 1 infantry division, 2 infantry brigades

Gyorshadtest (Miklos) - 2 motorized brigades, 1 cavalry brigade

Economy

Economy-wise Germany has 71.810 units of armaments at stock and 39.543 men ready for combat duty. 177.757 vehicles are in the motor pool with a need of 146.833. Furthermore 160.370 vehicles are in the units themselves, with a need of 160.377.

On the other side of the fence the Soviets were busy evacuating armament factories. Only the irrescuable ones in Minsk fell in German hands. Heavy industry wasn't evacuated, yet. 16 factories were captured by the advancing Wehrmacht.

[Gabriel B.]

What do you intend to do with the overtasked 4th army ?

[SigUp]

The northern corps along with one corps of 9th Army to break through at Yelnya, the two / three corps in the middle cross the Desna north of Bryansk / move against the city itself. The one in the south shade the gap to 2nd Army. Long-term move with the mass of the units against the space Kaluga - Tula.

[Gabriel B.]

I would consider placing one of it's corps (3 divisions ) under 2nd army and direct it south trough Unecha, to keep 4th army focused on driving east.

[SigUp]

As soon as I have the APs I intend to assign XII. AK of 2nd Panzer and XIII. AK of 4th Army to 2nd Army to cover the gap between AGC and AGS. For now, however, XIII. moved towards Bryansk, as the two other corps along the Desna were busy punching a hole for a little pocket. So it was XII. AK that captured Unecha.

[SigUp]

Turn 7: 31st July 1941 - 6th August 1941

Army Group North



Around Leningrad Army Group North created the preconditions for an attack over the Neva near Pavlovo. First L. AK pushed towards the outskirts of Kolpino, then I. AK reached the banks of the Neva south of Pavlovo. Meanwhile II. AK replaced 36th Motorized Division in its positions around Shlisselburg. Along the Volkhov LI. AK reached the river and X. AK successfully claimed Novgorod against the Soviet 191st Rifle Division. In Estonia XXXVIII. AK captured Tallinn on 2nd August and also pushed onto Saaremaa. Along the Lovat XXVIII. AK reached Staraya Russa on 3rd August and Kholm on the 6th.

With Estonia, aside from a routed rifle brigade, practically secure XXXVIII. AK's duty in the North was done and the corps was tasked with preparations for a transport towards Army Group Centre in the coming weeks. Manstein's LVI. AK (mot.) was also given a new objective as the corps was pulled south of the Luga.

Army Group Centre



In the Centre the panzers struck again, albeit on a limited basis. Near Yelnya XX, XXXXIII. and LIII. AK opened up a thirty miles wide, twenty miles deep hole in the Soviet lines that was exploited by XXXXVII. AK (mot.), which formed the pincer for two small encirclements. At the same time VIII. and XXXIX. AK (mot.) attacked out of the Dnepr bridgehead and 14th Motorized Division linked up with XXXXVII. AK (mot.) on 6th August, trapping five Soviet divisions of the 20th Army. Towards the south VII. and IX. AK breached the Soviet lines behind the Desna, opening up a path for 3rd Panzer and 10th Motorized Division. When the dust settled seven Soviet divisions were cut off.



Further south XII. AK moved against Unecha while 2nd Army crossed the Sozh in force. On the evening of the 6th August forward elements of 260th Infantry Division were only 60 miles away from 6th Army's 56th Infantry Division.

Army Group South



At Kiev von Reichenau's 6th Army was ready to attack the Ukrainian capital and for this purpose two divisions of XXIX. AK and one division of LV. AK were amassed. After heavy artillery shelling the three divisions began their assault on 1st August and by the end of the second day the resistance of 135th Rifle Division was broken.

At the same time the Dnepr bridgehead west of Kremenchug was significantly expanded. 17th Army's infantry managed to cross the river and provide support for the panzers, which pushed north towards Khorol. Also, the Hungarian mobile corps (Gyorshadtest) reached the frontlines for the first time and secured the Sula river against the Soviet units to the west.



In the southernmost part of the front Odessa was captured by a combined assault of the Rumanian 4th Army and LIV. AK, to the delight of Marshal Ion Antonescu. Around the same time the Cavalry Corps of 3rd Army captured Krivoi Rog. The biggest gain meanwhile was scored by von Mackensen's III. AK (mot.). Taking advantage of the Soviets not guarding the southern Dnepr part, the corps crossed the river and by the end of the week stood near Fedorovka, some 20 miles south of Zaporozhye. Furthermore, XXXXVIII. AK (mot.) was also moved south from its positions at Kremenchug and the corps stood in a good position for a supply buildup the following week.

Finnish Front

In Karelia the Finnish divisions struggled to make quick gains, despite being opposed by only two rifle divisions. When inquired about it, the commander of Karelian Army, Heinrichs, admitted the challenges posed by the harsh terrain forced his units into slow deliberate attacks. On the other hand the Isthmus Army progressed quickly and reached the old 1939 borders, after eliminating the rifle division trapped in Vyborg.

Air War

Due to the renewed offensive of Army Group Centre, Luftwaffe losses soared again. Especially the Stuka corps was hit hard and in a single week 37 Ju-87s were lost, making up 60% of the total combat aircraft losses. These losses led to Kesselring planning to take StG 2 out of the front and replace it with the rested StG 77 the following week. Aside from combat aircraft losses, reconnaissance aircraft losses were still on a very high level with 30 aircraft lost, bringing up the total to 129.

The good news, however, was that the skies still belonged to the German Luftwaffe. Despite trying hard, the Red Airforce was still no match, as it lost 250 planes during the German ground support missions. Even the newer aircraft types were still shot down like flies by German fighters, with 26 MiG-3, 12 Yak-1 and 19 LaGG-3 destroyed.

[jwolf]

SigUp, one thing that would  be very interesting, if possible, would be your comments as the game goes on regarding how the decreased logistics are affecting your operations.  I am assuming this doesn't matter so much for the defensive side, but whoever is attacking is certainly affected and the Germans in '41 especially so.  If there is ever a time when you could post a move and say "with normal logistics I could have done X" that would be interesting to see.  BTW I appreciate the detailed maps and descriptions of operations that both you and Loki have in your AARs.  Please keep it up!

[SigUp]

ORIGINAL: jwolf

SigUp, one thing that would  be very interesting, if possible, would be your comments as the game goes on regarding how the decreased logistics are affecting your operations.  I am assuming this doesn't matter so much for the defensive side, but whoever is attacking is certainly affected and the Germans in '41 especially so.  If there is ever a time when you could post a move and say "with normal logistics I could have done X" that would be interesting to see.  BTW I appreciate the detailed maps and descriptions of operations that both you and Loki have in your AARs.  Please keep it up!

Hm, I can't really tell what could have been done with logistics on 100 as this is my first PBEM. But if I have to do an assessment, also incorporating the previous experiences in the smaller scenarios, I would say that it prevents long sustained panzer drives all across the front, even with aerial resupply in the period from mid July to perhaps mid August, where German forces are probably (in a normal game) the furthest away from their railheads in 1941. I can't tell for sure, but unless a buildup is done the average MP recovery is perhaps some 10-15 MPs at best.

[SigUp]

Aftermath: 7th August 1941 - Morning

In the night from the 6th to the 7th August the weather struck again. Torrent-like rainfalls turned the majority of the front into a muddy mess. The entire area from Leningrad to Dnepropetrovsk was affected. Only the upper Dnepr and southern Ukraine was spared.

Army Group North

In front of Army Group North and along the Finnish front nothing changed. The Red Army was set into a defensive lineup in Leningrad, along the Volkhov and along the Lovat.

Army Group Centre



At Army Group Centre the Red Army made no attempt to relieve the trapped forces of 4th, 19th and 20th Army. The reactions of the Soviets to the renewed offensive of the Germans continued to be harrassing airstrikes against the panzer divisions, sometimes costing 100 men casualties.

Meanwhile south of the Ugra a new army was inserted into the gap created by the advance of XXIV. AK (mot.). To the unease of von Bock reconnaissance also reported that the Vyazma line was heavily (level 2 forts) fortified. Additionally a fallback line right behind the main defensive line was being formed. Recon conducted in the vicinity of Moscow furthermore indicated possible preliminary works on a Moscow defensive line.

Army Group South



As expected by von Rundstedt's staff Southwest Front began a massive retreat after the loss of Kiev on 3rd August. Leaving only two divisions to block the Dnepr crossings (but surprisingly East Kiev was left empty) the mass of the Red Army divisions retreated towards Uday and Sula. This massive retreat was accompanied by the German interdiction attacks from the air.

East of the German bridgehead near Kremenchug the Soviets prepared for the defense Kharkov. The Red Army forces were guarding the Psel and Vorskla, although they seemed to lack enough units to build a continuous line. Coupled with the massing of divisions in front of Moscow, Franz Halder assumed that STAVKA was leaving the South to fend for itself, utilizing space as a tool of defense. This view was further supported by the Red Army evacuating the Dnepr bend, after completing evacuation of Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye. Further south the Soviets scrambled to put together a blocking force, preventing III. AK (mot.) from possibly gaining ground on Stalino. Around Stalino itself the Red Army began working on defensive fortifications behind Torets and Mius.

[SigUp]

Turn 8: 7th August 1941 - 14th August 1941 - Morning

Due to the muddy conditions in most of the combat area, fighting and advances were very limited in the week from 7th to 13th August.

Army Group North

Around Leningrad Army Group North conducted minor reshufflings, along with units moving up to the Volkhov. Additionally the Luftwaffe began bombardment of possible crossing sites over the Neva.

Army Group Centre



Unlike Army Group North, Army Group Centre was still capable of carrying out limited advances along the upper Dnepr and Dvina. Infantry divisions of 9th Army breached the last resistance in front of the Vyazma line north of the city until 12th August. Furthermore the northern pocket formed the previous week was successfully liquidated. Despite muddy road conditions 4th Army was also capable of forcing the surrender of most divisions in the Desna pocket. XXXXIII. AK moreover reached the outskirts of Spas-Demyansk.

Due to the combat pauses a meeting was held on 9th August between Halder, von Bock, and Army Group Centre's army commanders on the topic of further operations. In the discussions Halder expressed his desire for 9th Army and 3rd Panzer Group to breach the Vyazma line about 20 miles north of the city, advance towards Gzhatsk before turning south to the Ugra. This advance was to be combined with an assault by 4th Army and 2nd Panzer Group through Spas-Demyansk, in order to trap a number of divisions around Vyazma. Hoth and Strauss, however, responded by stating that the force concentration there wasn't enough for a significant breach. Halder promised them reinforcements in form of XXXVIII. AK, but admitted that these divisions were unlike to arrive before late August. In response to such a possible delay, Guderian argued for the need to quickly bring down the Vyazma line. To this end 2nd Panzer Group with assistance of 4th Army should outflank the line to the south. Specifically the Soviet lines north and south of Bryansk should be breached and the city encircled, to facilitate a drive towards Kaluga - Tula. Halder left the meeting promising to deliver orders in due time.

Army Group South



In the south 6th Army crossed the Dnepr and captured East Kiev, while 17th Army crawled forward, with the panzer units in the Kremenchug bridgehead resting. In the southern Ukraine 11th Army crossed the Dnepr in force in preparation for a drive towards Stalino.

Industry

Soviet industry evacuation continued unabated in the mud. All in all the Soviet administration was very effective in getting armaments factories out, with the Wehrmacht only capturing 5. In contrast, heavy industry was mostly left in place. Only Krivoi Rog and Kerch were evacuated and 24 factories were destroyed in the wake of the German advance.

[SigUp]

Turn 9: 14th August 1941 - 20th August 1941

Note: From this turn onward I will change the structure of the AAR slightly. Instead of one turn report and an aftermath report these two will be merged in one.

Army Group North



While the weather raged, Army Group North used the time in order to prepare for the crossing of the Neva near Shlisselburg. I. and II. AK were handed the tough assignment of securing a foothold over the river, with XXXXI. AK (mot.) playing the role of exploiter. To better coordinate the efforts of the corps, von Küchler and Busch agreed to group them together under the leadership of Walter Model, commander of I. AK.

When ground conditions finally cleared on 14th August, I. Fliegerkorps kicked off the operation by bombing Soviet reserves at Vsevolzhsky. The infantry followed the next morning, when units of 21st and 30th Infantry Division - the best infantry divisions of the entire Wehrmacht - crossed the river under artillery cover and supported by many pioneers. By nightfall 30th Army's 227th and 232nd Rifle Division were pushed back from the banks of the Neva and the Germans brought the second wave, consisting of II. AK's 12th and 32nd Infantry Division into play. 16th August, however, marked a severe crisis, when 21st Tank Division of 23rd Army was brought in from Osinovets and began counterattacking. Faced with the prospect of a possible failure, Model decided to throw his remaining two divisions (30th and 32nd) into the battle and by the afternoon of the 17th August the Soviets were stopped. The following day 6th Panzer and 36th Motorized Division crossed the Neva on the finished pontoon bridges and forced 21st Tank and 232nd Rifle Division back into Osinovets, while 227th Rifle Division was routed.

After successfully getting all elements over the river, XXXXI. AK (mot.) began pursuing the retreating Soviets and forced them out of Osinovets. However, for the lack of fuel they were unable to occupy the port in force and by the end of the 20th August the Soviets managed to recapture the city with three divisions. Unfortunately for them the port was throughly damaged by the preceding battle and Leningrad was isolated, despite a still functioning airfield north of Vsevolzhsky.

Army Group Centre



After the conference in Smolensk Halder sent Army Group Centre new orders on 11th August. As discussed with the generals of Army Group Centre, OKH ordered von Bock to attempt the Vyazma encirclement operation. VIII., XXXIX. and LVII. AK (mot.) were to break through the Vyazma line about 20 miles north of the city and then swing into the gap between Gzhatsk and Temkino. At the same time 4th Army and 2nd Panzer Group were to crush the resistance at Spas-Demyansk and then drive towards Ugra.

Already on the first day of the operation VIII. AK had to discover that Soviets managed to fortify their positions very well. Despite heavy Luftwaffe support the progress was painfully slow and the German divisions suffered heavy casualties. Nevertheless by the end of the 16th August the front row of the Vyazma line was broken and XXXIX. AK (mot.) pushed into the hole. To the surprise of the Germans they had to discover that the secondary line was fortified just as well as the primary line. Faced with no other choice the corps had to deploy all of its divisions in deliberate assaults to open up another 20 mile wide hole. By then their fuel reserves ran low and LVII. AK had to take over. After a meeting between von Bock and Hoth on 19th August the decision was reached not to push LVII. AK further, due to the impossibility to reach the Ugra without exposing the divisions to dangerous counterattacks.

South of the Ugra the Germans had less trouble in pushing the Soviets back and 29th Motorized Division reached the Ugra on 18th August. But with Hoth's units unable to reach their target the Soviets were able to pull some divisions out of the Vyazma area. Further south VII. AK reached the outskirts of Vyazma, but had to discover that the Soviets turned the city into a fortress (level 3 forts.), so von Weichs and von Kluge agreed on bypassing and encircling the city using infantry only.

After reconnaissance revealed even more defensive lines in front of Moscow on 21st August, von Bock met with Halder in Minsk and requested more reinforcements. With the Leningrad battle appearing to near it's end, Halder promised to shift I. AK, as well as two divisions of II. AK as soon as the situation allows it. Additionally Manstein's LVI. AK (mot.) was already packing together near Plyussa, while two divisions of XXXVIII. AK were on the rails at Polotsk and Vitebsk.

Army Group South



In the Ukraine north of the Dnepr Army Group South had a very minor success when XIV. and XXXXVI. AK (mot.) managed to trap four Soviet divisions west of Poltava. Other than that the Germans were unable to prevent the Red Army from continuing their retreat towards Sumy and Kharkov.

Meanwhile von Kleist and the commanders of III. and XXXXVIII. AK (mot.) Mackensen and Kempf planned a panzer raid after seeing the results of reconnaissance flights Molochna and Stalino. Due to the lack of a cohesive Soviet defense west of the Mius the generals saw a good chance to reach Stalino and prevent the evacuation of the industry complex situated in the city. For that von Kleist was even willing to accept a temporary isolation of Kempf's XXXXVIII. AK (mot.). After preparatory assaults by 11th Army the panzer began their drive on 16th August and four days later 16th Panzer Division reached the city and locked it down. To the surprise of the Germans the Soviets were unable to cut off their lines of communications. For this daring raid and the successful Dnepr crossing a few weeks earlier Ewald von Kleist was promoted to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall, becoming the 12th army general - and first panzer leader - in the Third Reich to be bestowed with that honour.

Air War

Complementing the intensity of the ground combat, the Luftwaffe also had to fight tough battles in the sky. In the week from 14th to 20th August the Luftwaffe lost 48 combat aircraft, with level bomber losses reaching 31 - the highest total since the opening day airfield bombings. The Red Airforce continued its desperate resistance and suffered 323 casualties, denying them their self-proclaimed target of a 3-1 loss ratio.

Losses

The increasing resistance of the Red Army in front of Moscow proved to be a source of serious concern for the Wehrmacht leadership, due to the skyrocketing losses. The third August week proved to be the most bloody week of the entire campaign up to that point. 13.324 German soldiers were killed in action, with another 152 gone missing. Similarly gun losses reached a new high with 362, while panzer losses were still moderate with 168.

[jwolf]

Congratulations on the swift conquest (up to mopping up) of the Leningrad area!  Very well done!  Just to clarify:  Osinovets was briefly under Axis control, but not occupied, after your turn; and then the Soviets reoccupied it, but with a completely damaged port so all Leningrad units are cut off?  Correct?

The fighting around Vyazma appears to be very tough.  Good luck getting through that.  Maybe it would make more sense to strike from a bit farther south to flank that position?  Ah, the joys of being an armchair general!

[Gabriel B.]

Can you post the fatigue levels of armored units in Army group center ?

[SigUp]

ORIGINAL: jwolf

Congratulations on the swift conquest (up to mopping up) of the Leningrad area! Very well done! Just to clarify: Osinovets was briefly under Axis control, but not occupied, after your turn; and then the Soviets reoccupied it, but with a completely damaged port so all Leningrad units are cut off? Correct?

The fighting around Vyazma appears to be very tough. Good luck getting through that. Maybe it would make more sense to strike from a bit farther south to flank that position? Ah, the joys of being an armchair general!

Thanks. [:)]

As for the first question, my attack already left Osinovets with 80% damage, when loki reoccupied it the port was 100% damaged. He did have airbases in Leningrad, but apparently lacked the transports to put Leningrad back into beachhead supply.

To the second question, I do intend to push 2nd Panzer Group towards the space Tula - Orel, but I just don't have enough motorized forces to bring down the hammer after I sent one panzer corps south on turn one. The situation may change with the arrival of 4th Panzer Group, although that depends on the timing (LVI. as said is already on the way, XXXX. will arrive as reinforcements in a couple of turns and XXXXI. will be pulled out as soon as Leningrad is gone).

ORIGINAL: Gabriel B.

Can you post the fatigue levels of armored units in Army group center ?

Most certainly. Here it is, units haven't moved yet:

[Gabriel B.]

The fatigue levels are high and cause a significant drop in overal CV , 20th panzer should pack at least 3 points more properly rested .
12th panzer/18th panzer would gain about 2 points but the isuue there is morale .

[SigUp]

ORIGINAL: Gabriel B.

The fatigue levels are high and cause a significant drop in overal CV , 20th panzer should pack at least 3 points more properly rested .
12th panzer/18th panzer would gain about 2 points but the isuue there is morale .

Indeed, XXXIX. and LVII. had to do some heavy lifting the last turn to break through the Vyazma line. Something I would have prefered not to do. As for the morale, guess they have to do some more fighting after a rest.

[jwolf]

when loki reoccupied it the port was 100% damaged.

Ironic that Loki's "counterattack" completely damaged the port, exactly what he didn't want.  But those are normal game mechanics and he didn't have any choice in the matter.  Good luck with the operations to come in the Moscow area.

[SigUp]

Turn 10: 21st August 1941 - 27th August 1941

Army Group North


Army and front symbols courtesy of Callistrid

On 21st August Army Group North's eradication of the Leningrad pocket began. While XXXXI. AK (mot.) and II. AK pushed towards Vsevolzhsky and the Finnish frontline, L. and XXVI. AK fought into the city itself. By 26th August most of the city was in German hands, as 23rd Army's 115th Rifle Division and 8th Rifle Brigade retreated over the Neva. On the evening of the next day only two rifle divisions remained, entrenched in Leningrad's northwest. All in all, over 100.000 men marched into German captivity.

After Finnish divisions arrived at the Svir on 24th August the Soviet Leningrad Front began a massive retreat away from Svir and Volkhov. Army Group North's high command was stunned at this development, that was apparently initiated due to fears of a combined Finnish-German assault, caused by Finnish divisions crossing the old border on the isthmus. [Note 1]

Army Group Centre



In the centre the carnage along the Vyazma line continued. After many tough engagements, 9th Army's VIII. AK and 3rd Panzer Group opened up a hole to the Ugra and linked up with Guderian's panzers standing south of the river, trapping 10 Soviet divisions around Vyazma. Despite this success the commander of VIII. AK Heitz worried about the state of his divisions, which were burned out. His fears proved to be justified, as the tired 28th and 161st Infantry Division fell victim to Soviet counterattacks and breakout attempts launched between 25th and 27th August, which successfully reopened lines of communications. [Note 2] Due to this setback, it was decided to take the battered VIII. AK out of the front and replace it with XXXVIII. AK arriving from Estonia. [Note 3]

To the south 17th, 23rd and 78th Infantry Division managed to push the Soviet 89th Rifle Division out of Bryansk on 26th August. But they failed to completely occupy the city, before the Soviets re-entered it the next day.

Army Group South



In the Ukraine infantry units of 6th and 17th Army continued their march east, while the panzer units north of the Dnepr rested, save from a little maneuver to cut off Poltava. Infantry divisions of XXXXIX. GK and XI. AK managed to sever the supply lines of the isolated Soviet divisions in Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye, but the Soviets managed to restore them by the end of the week.

Meanwhile near Stalino XXXXVIII. AK (mot.) spotted a gap in the Soviet Mius defenses and pushed over the river, standing 40 miles away from Rostov. On 26th August 25th Motorized Division successfully repelled a Soviet counterattack, but couldn't stop a lone cavalry division from entering the gap between XXXXVIII. AK and the Rumanian cavalry corps. Further west the Soviets conducted another raid with a single cavalry division starting from Seytler on the Crimea between 23rd and 27th August, reaching Fedorovka, which severely strained German supply lines. In front of the Crimea itself LIV. AK began to push onto the peninsula by attacking on the isthmus of Perekop. [Note 4]

Air War

In the skies over the Soviet Union the Luftwaffe continued its role as flying artillery, with level bombers taking the brunt of the casualties with 34 lost aircraft. A couple of those, however, were lost in ill-advised interdiction missions in the North, conducted by aircraft in areas outside the range of escort fighters.

With the Leningrad battle nearing its end, it was decided on 25th August to move the majority of I. Fliegerkorps to Army Group Centre, in order to maximize aerial support for the upcoming Moscow battle.

[Note 1: I actually would have preferred the Soviet units remaining along Svir and Volkhov, as I had no intention of pushing over the rivers. Due to the Finnish morale losses I absolutely detest pushing the Fins over their no attack line.]

[Note 2: The loss of 28th Infantry Division was especially surprising. It (87 morale, but only 63% TOE with a CV of 6.0) was defeated by five rifle divisions attacking from inside the pocket.]

[Note 3: 28th is at 63/66 TOE, 161st at 64/67 TOE (4 CV!) and 8th at 72/77 TOE. I have to rethink the slugfest in front of Moscow. It would quite bad to go into the blizzard with 60% TOE infantry divisions.]

[Note 4: I think I messed up quite badly here. First, there was no reason to push towards Mius that early with the river held only by cavalry division. My impatience got the better of me. Second, I misjudged the mobility of the Soviet cavalry divisions. The units east of Fedorovka barely got any supply. XXXXVIII. AK still had some reserves from the HQ buildup left, but III. AK in front of Stalino for example got only 5 to 7 MPs.]

[Callistrid]

SigUp set the opacity to 80%, and the fill to 90%. That will give you a better view when you adding symbols to the map.

[SigUp]

Thanks, I'll do that the next time. I used 90% opacity, but that's not quite enough.