Gen. Goofy Does Barbarossa vs DicedT (No Diced T)

[warspite1]

20th July 1941
Turn 8
Army Group Centre

Let's have a look at a summary of the position here.

Army Group Centre

Posture = Sustained Offensive
Command Focus = 2nd Panzergruppe
Tactical Air Support = 2nd Panzergruppe
Theatre Artillery = 4th Army
Direct Fire Artillery Support = 12 divisions??
FSB = Minsk is up and running
Truck maintenance = 1%
Units in R+R = none?
Relationships = Positive von Bock (giving bonuses to 3 subordinates)
Panzergruppe Summary = 71% Operational – Transports 94% Operational
Units outside command range = 2nd Panzergruppe has 10 divisions outside!
Other: Siege Artillery investing Brest-Litovsk
Partisan level = 12%

Summary

- There is a problem with fuel supplies as the lines are red - not sure what to do about that but will need to conserve fuel in the meantime.
- Need to take Brest and get those units within HQ range.

[warspite1]

20th July 1941
Turn 8
Army Group Centre

von Bock orders no more mucking around and tells Guderian to take Brest and then send divisions east to find their HQ asap.

9th Army takes Poltosk.

4th Army finish off some Soviet stragglers

2nd and 4th Panzergruppe concentrate on using what small amounts of fuel there is to group together.

[warspite1]

20th July 1941
Turn 8
Army Group South

So here is the summary for this theatre:

Army Group South

Posture: 1st Panzergruppe = Defensive Posture
Command Focus = 17th Army
Tactical Air Support = 1st Panzergruppe
Theatre Artillery = 6th Army
Direct Fire Artillery Support = 10 divisions??
FSB: Relocating to Proskurow – 4 more days for resumption.
Truck Maintenance: 41% (none available)
Units in R+R: 8 Fast and 3 slow divisions
Relationships = Positive von Rundstedt (giving bonus to 1 subordinate command)
Panzergruppe Summary = 73% Operational – Transports 86% Operational
Units outside command range: None
Other: None
Partisan level: 18%

Summary
- Need to switch command focus to 1st Panzergruppe as soon as fuel situation allows
- Need to switch posture as soon as possible (next turn?)

[warspite1]

20th July 1941
Turn 8
Army Group South

Not a drop of oil to be had so this will be an infantry only turn.

[warspite1]

24th July 1941
Turn 9

Huzzah!

[warspite1]

24th July 1941
Turn 9
Army Group North

PP's are a problem at present. I spend 1 PP to keep von Leeb happy re a recommendation but do not change an airfield for PP conservation purposes. I spend a further 4pp on convoys (seems sensible to take the strain off the rail and truck system).

I keep Goering happy - re safe flying - but only to save pp, and annoy Gercke re co-operation with his train operatives for the same reason.

This leaves 17pp. There is a truck refit decision required but I also need to R+R 16th Army...... Oh the agonies of command!!!

EDIT: Phew! I managed to do both with 1pp to spare.....

There is nothing going on here this turn.

[warspite1]

24th July 1941
Turn 9
Army Group Centre

9th Army try and push on from Polotsk but resistance is too strong in Vitebsk and the army do not get very far.

The performance of 3rd Panzergruppe was a study in mediocrity. I do not know if this is the Germans weakening, the Soviets getting stronger or sloppy play by me - but its ain't good.....

2nd Panzergruppe are even worse....

[warspite1]

24th July 1941
Turn 9
Army Group South

Maybe the length of time the Soviets have had to dig in has helped but in the AGS sector too, there is little happening - even in open terrain!

[warspite1]

28th July 1941
Turn 10
Army Group North

Okay so rest and refit and movement of FSB almost complete. No action to take place until next turn when (I think) 18th and 16th Army will be ready.

[warspite1]

28th July 1941
Turn 10
Army Group Centre

The 2nd Panzergruppe are placed on Rest and Refit (3pp - I only have 4pp left.....). With the whole of AGN on R+R I need to keep some impetus going and so employ 9th Army and 3rd Panzergruppe to try and keep the pressure on. 9th Army's job is not helped by the fact that 16th Group are idle - thus the former have an extended flank to worry about.....

The 152nd Rifle Division and the badly depleted 29th Tank Division guard Vitebsk. Not wanting any further delays, Strauss sends in four divisions and takes the city, although a follow-up attack proves a failure - as does the bid to eject 26th Rifle Division from north of the Dvina.

To the south, 3rd Panzergruppe set about getting in position to threaten Orsha from the north and west. Three divisions of varying strength hold the Minsk-Orsha road leading into the western suburbs. Hoth orders strong infantry and panzer forces to remove this obstacle.

The survivors flee into Orsha, giving the city a total of five divisions in defence. Only the 153rd Rifle Division is in any way combat ready but again, despite Hoth committing everything the 3rd Panzergruppe has left to the fight, the Soviets are able to hold the city with relative ease.

The newly arrived 2nd Army is brought up to clear out the remaining Soviet troops behind the lines, but can provide no further assistance to von Bock's troops this turn.

This just leaves von Kluge's 4th Army. Mogilev is held by three rifle and one motorised division. The town is assaulted from 4 sides by no less than six of von Kulge's divisions. The city falls and in two follow-up attacks southeast of the Mogilev, the Germans create bridgeheads over the Dnepr.

[warspite1]

28th July 1941
Turn 10
Army Group South

I have a nice surplus of fuel - 17,000. However the shortage of pp means I cannot give Command Focus to the 1st Panzergruppe. However I am able to switch to Blitzkrieg posture (to take effect next turn).

I am hoping that the Siege Artillery will arrive at Odessa next turn, but pending its arrival I don't think I can keep sacrificing Romanian (and German) lives to this hell-hole.

Instead, the remaining Romanians of 4th Army, their compatriots of the 3rd, and the Germany 11th Army continue their efforts to push east toward the Crimea.

First things first however, and the Axis troops need to clear the River Bug. The 72nd and 79th Divisions are ordered to make a cross river assault vs three badly beaten up Soviet divisions east of Pervomaisk. The one division to survive is pushed back, thus creating a huge gap in the Soviet defences.

Both the 1st Romanian Armoured and the German 95th Infantry are able to cross the river and engage the weak units there. Further downstream another mixed force of Romanian and German infantry force themselves across the river and threaten the outskirts of Nikolayev and the Soviet ships under construction there.

Up river, three Soviet divisions continue to occupy the south bank of the Bug. The 176th Rifle Division is attacked by five division of 3rd Army and forced to retreat - but remain on the south side. on their left flank the 47th Rifle and 6th Airborne Divisions are attacked by an ad-hoc Romanian and German force. This attack too is a failure, allowing the Soviets to remain an impediment to the Axis advance.

However, the turn ends for the Romanians on a positive note with the destruction of the remnants of a Tank Division, allowing the 6th Infantry to cross the river.

[warspite1]

28th July 1941
Turn 10
Army Group South

To 17th Army now. With the Soviets being pushed back across the Bug, it is important that the 17th Army clear the plain between it and the Dnepr. Little can be achieved without the fall of Vinnitsa however, and Stulpnagel orders five divisions to take the town - which is duly done.

The 1st Panzergruppe are then called into battle to assist the infantry. Firstly the 57th Infantry are ordered to finish off the 45th Tank Division. They do not manage to achieve this but push the Soviets tankers into the path of a Romanian division - which brings down further pain on the Soviet troops and forces the almost non-existent division to retreat yet further, which traps three Soviets divisions.

This small pocket is attacked by two panzer divisions and manages to survive the attack. The 4th Panzergruppe appears truly blunted....
von Kleist's last chance to make progress this turn is via an attack against four Soviets division strung out across the steppe. One panzer and two motorised divisions attack - but can do nothing to dislodge them...

This leaves 6th Army who can do no more than move slowly east.

[warspite1]

1st August 1941
Turn 11

Ignore this picture (other than for comparison purposes) this is not the 1st August turn for AGN - see below.

[warspite1]

Right - been a bit of an issue in that my AGN turn didn't save - or at least I probably didn't save it.... Second time that has happened, previously it was in my game vs the AI, but sadly this time it has affected my game with DicedT.

My opponent has been gracious about my mistake though. So what I will do is keep the picture above in place. I will do my turn again and seek to replicate as much as possible, the finishing position above so that I gain no advantage. I have said that DicedT can look at the two outcomes to check the position. Obviously I cannot guarantee what will happen as the outcome of the battles could be different.

[warspite1]

1st August 1941
Turn 11

The Aide-de-Camp confirms:

Good relation with von Bock and von Rundstedt gives bonuses.

Focus is with:

AGN: 4th Panzergruppe
AGC: 2nd Panzergruppe
AGS: 17th Army

Theatre Artillery is with:

AGN: 16th Army
AGC: 4th Army
AGS: 6th Army

Luftwaffe is with:

AGN: 4th Panzergruppe
AGC: 2nd Panzergruppe
AGS: 1st Panzergruppe

All Panzergruppen are sub 70% operational and in need of R+R.

I have just 38pp.
I save pp by not moving airfields or FSB, but spend a shocking 14pp for a truck refit for AGC.
I spend 3pp re a commendation to keep von Rundstedt happy.
I spend 4pp to increase artillery ammo for AGC
I spend a further 3pp to call in a favour re winter clothing
That leaves 14pp and I spend 12pp of these on requesting fuel for two panzergruppen.
For my last pp I spend this on getting the Siege Artillery to Odessa. I thought I had already ordered this - what a schmuck.....

After all that, the only poor relationship I have is with von Brauchitsch.

I am unable to switch command focus to 1st Panzergruppe [:@]

[warspite1]

1st August 1941
Turn 11
Army Group North

Well that makes me feel a little better. As can be seen the turn looks to be appreciably worse for the Germans this time so at least I have not profited from my mistake.

[warspite1]

1st August 1941
Turn 11
Army Group Centre

Ah.... well that could be a disaster. I saw a thread in the main forum recently that talks about Soviets in the Pripyat Marshes. Intelligence has spotted a Soviet division in the northern marshes. Presumably he is not there on his own and..... my whole 2nd Panzergruppe is on R+R....

If he's there in force the Germans are screwed.

[warspite1]

1st August 1941
Turn 11
Army Group Centre (cont)

I imagined a whole army or two in the marshes and, in the absence of proof, I may have panicked a bit. I have brought the whole of 2nd Army back. I have taken two divisions of 4th Army out of the line on a hunt for Soviets - and as a result have had to pull other units back....

9th Army has also needed to withdraw to protect its extended flank. The only good news is that 3rd Panzergruppe have taken Orsha.....

The threat in the marshes may still be real (the Soviets may be in the extreme west) I just can't check because I do not have the units to move.

Great play from my opponent.

[warspite1]

1st August 1941
Turn 11
Army Group South

Major opportunity in the south goes begging as my troops have no action points....

[warspite1]

5th August 1941
Turn 12

I am down to 16pp. This is not good.

I lavish praise on the Fuhrer (3pp) that can only be a good thing right?
I spend another 3pp for modest ammunition supplies for AGS.
I spend 2 pp in support of an award to keep von Bock on side.
All other decisions I take the 0pp route....