SOVIET UNION 1941 EARLY VARIANT AAR

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the southern front at the end of turn 7. Kiev is completely enveloped and doomed. Elsewhere, the Soviet line has been breached just above Odessa, pocketing a Soviet army.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the Finnish front at the end of turn 8. The advance towards Leningrad has halted – probably for good until Leningrad falls from the south. The German Brandenburg division has arrived and the Lagoda supply hex has been reached.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the northern front at the end of turn 8. AGN forces are concentrating for a drive up the road through Borovichi toward the Lagoda supply point. Meanwhile, AGC forces are approaching the formidable defenses of Moscow.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the southern front at the end of turn 8. The Kiev defenses are withering away due to lack of supply. Meanwhile the defense line is disintegrating. Odessa is now fully invested by the Romanians. By house rule, only they can assault it. That won’t be possible until its supply point is removed by the capture of Sevastopol – and that may be several turns from now.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the Finnish front at the end of turn 9. This front has stabilized, but note that the Brandenburg division arrived at the Lagoda supply hex border.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the northern front at the end of turn 9. The Novgorod path has been cleared, but the bridges will take weeks to repair. So, the path up the road through Borovichi is being pursued. Meanwhile, AGC forces are being concentrated on a Soviet army on the path to Moscow.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the southern front at the end of turn 9. Kiev has fallen and its defense line has been enveloped.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the northern front at the end of turn 10. Here, the Brandenburg division has RBCd into the hex NE of the Lagoda supply hex (it had remained constrained by house rule from actually attacking beyond the Finnish stop line, but was allowed to RBC). Meanwhile, AGN forces have driven closer to that hex as well, using the path mentioned before. The combination of those two advances has put most of the defenders of that hex out of supply. It also has made it very hard for the Soviets to reinforce them.

Note the tactical trick I’m using here. The group composition of the spearhead hex shows five HQs (there is one more in the hex behind. That concentrated a lot of high-power artillery to the attack and made progress very cheap. I think once the Lagoda hex has been secured, I may try to make a similar concentration for the try for Moscow.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the central front at the end of turn 10. One hex has been gained toward Moscow. The army defending it was destroyed at significant cost. More force is being focused here from the Kiev battle and elsewhere.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the southern front at the end of turn 10. The original Kiev defense line has almost entirely been destroyed or pocketed. The three pocketed armies are rapidly withering due to lack of supply. I decided to let them “stew” a bit longer before attempting to destroy them.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the northern front at the end of turn 11. The drive towards the Lagoda supply hex progresses. The Soviet defenders remain unsupplied and unreinforced. The fall of the vital hex is practically assured.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the central front at the end of turn 11. Two more hexes towards Moscow have been captured, destroying one more Soviet defending army.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the southern front at the end of turn 11. Those pocketed armies have been destroyed and a path to the Crimea has been opened.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the northern front at the end of turn 12. The Lagoda supply hex still holds out though it is fully invested. It is certain to fall next turn. Meanwhile, note that I’ve dispatched all the HQs that were used in this operation off to the Moscow offensive. It will take them a few turns to get there.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the center front at the end of turn 12. Two more hexes have been gained towards Moscow. These hexes were lightly defended, though, so the cost was not severe.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the southern front at the end of turn 12. Dnepropetrovsk has been captured, as has Kharkov. Forces are now in place to drive on Sevastopol.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the northern front at the end of turn 13. The Lagoda supply hex has fallen. This means that the Leningrad supply point will be removed in four turns, dooming it. Forces used to take it have moved on to the fight for Moscow.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the central front at the end of turn 13. One more lightly held hex has been captured. The HQs are still on their way to this battle.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the southern front at the end of turn 13. Forces are now in place to attack Sevastopol next turn. Meanwhile, progress continues into the Ukraine, with a large pocket made at the southern end of its defense. Note that the battle for Moscow is robbing the Ukraine of defenders. So, driving on Moscow has an unexpected extra benefit.

[Curtis Lemay]

The attached screenshot shows the situation on the central front at the end of turn 14 (note that the northern front has now gone quiet and will be skipped). With the help of much of the HQs that have been transferred here, another Soviet army has been destroyed, widening the breach in the defense line. The path to Moscow now must go through the fortified line terrain and its defenders to get there. It’s going to be tough. Note that the German units are getting very worn down.

Note that there is another offensive towards Moscow from the north that is gaining ground. Together, the two drives may overwhelm the Soviet defenses.