Russia! Why not? (Morvael welcome)

[jwolf]

Morvael, in light of Loki's AAR I saw that you have stayed with version 7.15 for this game -- and probably wisely so. Can you comment on what might have happened if you had upgraded to version 8?

No doubt, it's a bitter pill for Goering to swallow...

By this time I think he was swallowing LOTS of pills, both literal and figurative. [;)]

[morvael]

No, we always used the latest patch throughout the game, it's just these screenshot are old. I couldn't manage posting aars, when doing 1.08, so there is a large backlog. The game has ended late January, and these turns you see were played last summer

Oh yes, poor Hermann... [:)]

[morvael]

Later on I cound't even manage taking screenshots, so from one point you will see all screnshots done on 1.08.01 even though they were played on 1.07.15, 1.08.00 and 1.08.01, made after the game was finished.

[morvael]

The game was started September 26th, 2012 (using 1.06.19). It ended on January 16th, 2015 (using 1.08.01).
We played 193 turns representing ~1350 days in 843 days of real time

[morvael]

Turn 167 (August 24th, 1944)

3rd Ukrainian Front starts its offensive. On the border between Rumania and Hungary there are some weak forces, but air recon shows that the next river line is a major defensive position, and it is full of Germans. So, there will be no easy march to Budapest. What is worse the closest rail bridge across the Danube is located in the Hungarian capital, thus crossing the river near Yougoslavian border will not allow to turn the enemy flank. At least, enemy troop density is lower than on the main front in Poland. 4th Ukrainian Front is preparing to join the fight, while the tanks of 7th Tank Army strike north:

[morvael]

Northern Hungary is still out of reach, the fate of this area will be decided by the battles in the south:

[morvael]

Red Army enters Sudovaya Vishnya, Rava-Russkaya, Tomaszow and Zamosc. By crossing the river Wieprz, 13th Army and 2nd Tank Army are very close to Lublin:

[morvael]

Just as expected, Grossdeutschland with Hermann Goering, 5th and 8th Panzer Divisions create a corridor to rescue their comrades encircled in Siedlce, but it's a close run thing as only one division manages to evacuate, before the arriving Soviet reinforcements close the ring again. Lukow, Minsk Mazowiecki and Wyszkow are taken, and Soviet units are just 10 miles from the eastern part of Warsaw. The Narew river line fully controlled, and 1st Shock Army enters Pultusk:

[morvael]

Almost half of East Prussia is now in Soviet hands. Triumphant artillery salvos are heard on the Red Square in Moscow - the first major German city to fall is Koenigsberg:

[morvael]

Hungarian resolve wavers for a while, but soon a few SS divisions arrive to Budapest and secure the situation. Only the loss of capital will end the resistance of Hitler's last ally.

Another Tank Army is formed in Kiev, the 9th. 27th Army commander, General-Leytenant Fyodor Tolbukhin, is appointed to lead it. His replacement is General-Mayor Aleksei Danilov. Aside from the usual set of support units, this army will get 7th and 18th Guards Tank Corps, as well as 14th Tank Corps. Only 5 tank corps remain in the combined arms armies.

STAVKA orders the withdrawal of all remaining Rifle Divisions from the front, in order to form more corps units.

10th Airborne Corps commander, Afanasy Beloborodov, is promoted to the rank of General-Leytenant. 6th Army is renamed 8th Guards Army.

Strength:
men: 10 933 307 vs 4 053 937
guns: 192 110 vs 40 353
AFVs: 13 630 vs 6 460
aircraft: 21 582 vs 1 577

Trucks:
in units: 284 584 / 284 602 (99.99%)
in the pool: 266 285 / 209 668 (127.00%)
in repair: 101 456

Losses:
killed: 30 494 vs 21 974
captured: 210 vs 319
disabled: 3 377 vs 6 809
guns: 689 vs 1 004
AFVs: 965 vs 257
aircraft: 369 vs 150

Including:
in combat: 190 vs 91
from AA: 101 vs 4
on the ground: 0 vs 23
operational: 78 vs 32

[loki100]

great stuff

it seems as if CptFlam is overdoing his Hungarian defense, if you can push your way into SE Poland? Or is he preparing a nasty surprise for you?

[morvael]

I agree, it was always my view that he gave south too much priority. There are good factories in Vienna, but losing Berlin is a game ending event, so nothing compares with that. I realized that somewhere around September-October '44 ([8D] late, I know) and from then on focused solely on getting to Berlin. Cpt Flam kept panzers and panzer grenadiers in the south to the end of the war. At some point I asked him why he doesn't move them to help defend Berlin, but then he said his rail capacity is too low to make a major redeployment.

[jwolf]

ORIGINAL: morvael

The game was started September 26th, 2012 (using 1.06.19). It ended on January 16th, 2015 (using 1.08.01).
We played 193 turns representing ~1350 days in 843 days of real time

I just wanted to say, this part really does sound like "war diary of an accountant." [:D]

[morvael]

See, I never tried to hide that fact [:)]
Total war is about accounting, not brave deeds under fire and similar stuff of legends. It's just hard work, day after day to the bloody end.

[randallw]

How about a look at the OOB or production screens?

[morvael]

OOB is pretty boring, aside from some specialized formations and odd units coming from scripted reinforcements. Nothing much has really changed, except from a gradual shifts described in the last post of each update.

Basically I'm disbanding light SU regiments (replaced by brigades), converting remaining rifle divs to corps, moving remaining independent tank corps to new tank armies (to concentrate them under best generals) and that's all.
Air is stagant, I can't grow it because of vehicles so I disband any new regiments that appear and recycle the worst morale ones to Moscow training school.

All factories are working at top speed, but AFV losses are staggering and they can't keep up. The rest is stable, with millions of men and armaments in the pool.

The game is trying to anger me by replacing 49th Army commander every turn.

[morvael]

Turn 168 (August 31st, 1944)

Battle in Hungary is evolving in Soviet favor. 7th Tank Army strikes north-east towards Debrecen, endangering German withdrawal route:

[morvael]

Slow advance in southern Poland due to difficult terrain and because of removal of tank units for 8th and 9th tank armies. Czech units arrive on the front and are attached to 3rd Guards Army:

[morvael]

German 254th Infantry Division, encircled in Siedlce, capitulates. Very good progress on the Warsaw front, with Lublin, Parczew, Kock, Deblin, Zelechow and Modlin captured and 30 mile advances across the board. 15th Guards Cavalry Corps enters the eastern suburbs of Warsaw - Praga. All the city bridges are blown though, and it will be hard to ford the river:

[morvael]

Victorious march across East Prussia continues, with its citizens fleeing west in panic. With Bischofsburg in Red Army's control, Braunsberg, Heilsberg, Allenstein, Ortelsburg and Willenberg are next targets. Lack of rail repair units on this secondary front is telling, and so the supply situation here is the most difficult: