How am I doing?

[Numdydar]

I'm playing my very first GC PBEM 1.08.01 beta game (standard winter rules) as the Germans. A real noob at the game too. Although I have done the Boot camp and played the AGS Road to scenario. So I thought I would check in as see how I was doing [:)] with the vets here.

Here are the losses at the start of Turn 3. This looks pretty good to me but have no real idea if it is or not.

[jwolf]

From rough memory, your numbers are good, but then again the numbers after 3 turns will just about always look good for the Axis because you get those nice, easy, free pockets on the opening turn that the Soviets can't possibly defend against. The true test is whether or not you can maintain this momentum (in both territory and Soviet casualties) through the whole summer of Barbarossa.

[Numdydar]

Yes the hard part is yet to come [:(] But I just wanted to make sure before I got too far in that I had not messed up things from Turn 1 [:)]

[SigUp]

Losses look good so far. A map would be more useful though. [:)]

[gingerbread]

Spend twice as much time you think is necessary to plan your rail conversion.

Where do you want to and where can you be by T10? By T15?

[Numdydar]

Here are some maps of where I am at the end of T3. Black lines are rails lines that are/will be repaired.

AGN

[Numdydar]

T3 end AGC AGC's RR repair is in the very bottom left corner

[Numdydar]

Finally AGS at the end of T3. The Rumanian RR unit is at the bottom center of the shot.

[SigUp]

Generally I would say your infantry in the north and centre is too far behind, about a turn. Meaning you either have to decline on infantry support for the next attack, or wait an additional turn. To give you a rough idea, here's where my infantry was in my game against loki:







In the south I guess you did a Lvov opener? I personally prefer to avoid sending the panzers up north at Kiev. The distance from the railhead is significantly larger there than in the south, where you can benefit from the proximity to Rumania. Using the extra MP there might gain you an early crossing over the Dnepr.

For rail repairs I always send AGN's FBD towards Riga and then on to Pskov. AGC's two are doubling up towards Vilnius - Polotsk, using the Baltic bonus to move up as fast as possible. Actually, the southern one through Brest-Litovsk isn't contributing anything towards your supply situation since the distance to your units at Mogilev is bigger than compared to doubling up the Vilnius route.

[Numdydar]

Nice to see different ideas [:)]

Oddly enough my plan was to join up the two FRDs at Minsk and then pair them up.

The only reason I sent the PZ at Kiev was I had pocket opportunities to get if I did. My original plan was to keep them south. But as they say contact with the enemy ... [:)]

I probably spent too much effort cleaning up the pockets on T2. It really surprised me how much it took to do that. So now all my Inf are playing catch up [:(]

I should take Solomisk and Pskov this turn which will put me closer to the historical schedule in those areas.

Regardless, for my first ever GC and as a PBEM, I will learn as I go along [:)] Nothing like throwing myself in the deep end [:D]

[SunTsu]

I would say in the north you have chosen the wrong rail line to repair. I usually have gone via Riga or the line between Riga and the one you have repaired.

[Numdydar]

I've played the Road to Leningrad several times and this path seemed to work the best for me in those games. There just does just not seem to be a need to go up through Riga as using this path I can still get a rail to Leningrad pretty quickly. Plus it helps out the areas south of there as well.

I guess we shall see since it may be different in a GC [:)]

[Numdydar]

I got Mud on T4 the central area as an FYI, so now I am really behind schedule [:@]

At least it gives all my forward troops a brief rest [:)]

[jwolf]

That's actually not a bad time for mud as your panzers are usually running on fumes at that point. Given that you typically get one mud turn during the summer in each zone, that's probably the best time for it.

[swkuh]

Will see the value of your AGN FBD path vs. the standard of Riga, Pskov, etc. Interesting, but maybe not an issue long run. At some point every '41 assault stalls (well, maybe not elite players) and FBDs do catch up.

Appreciate your AAR.

[charlie0311]

Hi,

Have you started airdrops to your Pz? I think it helps keeping the offensive going.

[Numdydar]

Most definitely [:)] And it has helped.

[Numdydar]

Well '41 has come and gone [:(] We just started '42 so I thought I would check back in with the forum to see how I'm doing at the beginning of '42.

I have about 150K of manpower, about 30K of '39 Inf squads, and 200K arms. We are using the 8.02 beta and the standard winter rules, i.e no mild winter option.

I did take Leningrad and I expect I will keep it through the winter thanks to the Finns [:)]. I'm a few hexes East of the Crimea in the south but did not quite get Stalino [:@] One more Snow turn damn it.

The Russians have lost 3.2M men and over 6K of planes. My loses are almost 600K men currently with around 500 planes lost. I'm slowly pulling back to preserve men.

So how does this look? I think I'm in pretty good shape, but as this is my first PBEM I have no clue [&:]

[jwolf]

The comparative loss figures sound pretty good. And those Finns are monsters during the first winter. [:)] If only the Germans could be like that.