Russia! Why not? (Morvael welcome)

[morvael]

Two armies of the Leningrad front are entering Estonia proper.

[morvael]

5 RR construction brigades were formed. T-34/85 starts production next week, but this means 60 tanks less per week (250 vs 310). New Spitfires (model IX) will start arriving from the West.

Strength:
men: 9 987 682 vs 4 788 271
guns: 156 879 vs 48 204
AFVs: 15 918 vs 7 208
aircraft: 21 394 vs 3 056

Trucks:
in units: 263 775 / 272 485 (96.80%)
in the pool: 148 353 / 155 481 (95.42%)
in repair: 112 535

Losses:
killed: 37 508 vs 24 113
captured: 559 vs 492
disabled: 4 038 vs 8 033
guns: 1 143 vs 1 346
AFVs: 605 vs 114
aircraft: 271 vs 43

Including:
in combat: 188 vs 30
from AA: 14 vs 0
on the ground: 0 vs 6
operational: 69 vs 7

[loki100]

great stuff, lots of pressure across the front but is a steady gain of 1 hex/turn enough?

at least your truck crisis seems to be finally passing

[morvael]

It's not enough, but I lie to myself that:
a) there is still not enough trucks (which is true, you have to be at 100% to get full movement)
b) it's blizzard, not summer (slower movement)
c) Axis pool's are exhausting and I may reach the point when they will have to retreat fasters not to risk total collapse
d) morale improves till May so I haven't reached maximums yet
... Come summer I should be able to advance faster

[randallw]

Do you have heavy tank regiments built? The T-34/85s are not up to the task for the tougher German armor.

[morvael]

I have only 6, one with each mechanized corps. That's because the heavy tank production is quite low between KV-2 and IS-2. But now (april) I have a healthy reserve of IS-2 and I have started building new heavy tank regiments, this time for tank corps.

[STEF78]

SHC steamroll is on!!

- Wins means morale up for you and decreasing morale for him
- You are reaching hexes with no, 0 or 1 entrenchment level
- German Inf won't recover these losses

Keep the pressure, momentum is on your side and try to break his AFV. It's his only way to get successfull counterattacks.

At this stage of the game (against Schascha) I was stronger as GHC and Schascha weaker as SHC. He won easily.

I don't think than more space will make a huge difference. Your MP's in summer will give you the opportunity of achieving encirclements.

[morvael]

Everytime I'm close to reach the 0-fort lines there is some kind of pause enforced by various circumstances: big river, weather, truck problem, rail problem

I am unable to destroy a lot of his AFVs, because he protects his panzers at all cost, keeping them in the second line and using only in the reserve role and for an occasional counterattack (1 per 5 turns on average, wherever I risk too much to capture more than 1 hex per turn without maintaining force order). Of course he pays for that with the lives of infantry and that results in depleted manpower pools. But again - whenever we reach 0 there is some kind of pause and he is allowed to replenish... That's why I think I need more artillery divisions, though I don't know if they are only good for disrupting or destroying elements.

[morvael]

Turn 138 (February 3rd, 1944)

Nikolaev captured, next target is Odessa and Rumania. It seems all the SS panzers are here.

[morvael]

Southern pincer heading for Kiev is slowed down by distance to railheads.

[morvael]

Northern pincer has finally caught up with the enemy and is readying for a strike (though it's problems with supply are even greater).

[morvael]

No contact with the enemy in the Gomel sector, there give up position without a fight to shorten the front.

[morvael]

No easy walkover for Konev in Belorussia, Grossdeutschland is here and can spoil any attack that is not launched with overwhelming odds. Two artillery divisions are dispatched here to help.

[morvael]

Partisans help in the operations of 1st and 2nd Baltic Fronts. The terrain does not, though it's not as difficult as before, in the Lovyat region and in the Valdai.

[morvael]

Germans give up Tallin and withdraw from northern Estonia.

[morvael]

22nd Army commander - Mikhail Kazakov - was killed, Dmitry Ryabyshev took over the command. Tank and SU regiments are switching into new TOEs, finally the problem with medium SU regiments will be solved.

Strength:
men: 10 048 130 vs 4 757 983
guns: 157 740 vs 47 843
AFVs: 15 804 vs 7 271
aircraft: 21 368 vs 3 299

Trucks:
in units: 260 546 / 271 892 (95.83%)
in the pool: 149 526 / 158 519 (94.33%)
in repair: 117 227

Losses:
killed: 23 730 vs 17 990
captured: 498 vs 523
disabled: 10 279 vs 8 770
guns: 804 vs 1 037
AFVs: 314 vs 89
aircraft: 114 vs 33

Including:
in combat: 67 vs 28
from AA: 2 vs 0
on the ground: 0 vs 0
operational: 45 vs 5

[morvael]

Turn 139 (February 10th, 1944)

Weather improves. Blizzard is no longer, only light snow and this immediately affects the speed of Red Army's advance and truck problems are a thing of the past (for now). Heavy fighting in the south, but the Transcaucasus Front managed to cross Yuzhny Bug in record time.

[morvael]

Rumanians have enough, but so does one German division. No Iron Crosses this time. 215th Infantry Division is encircled west of Chigirin.

[morvael]

It looks like the Germans were expecting Soviet attack here. Suddenly battle-hardened divisions are where only small regiments were a week before. The advance is so slow that the Tank Armies find no gap to exploit.

[morvael]

Gomel and Mogilev are close, contact with enemy is estabilished. Unfortunately behind them the steppes of Russia end and the swamps of Belarus begin. Preparations are made to organize a cavalry-only army to operate in that area.