FIFTY SHADES OF WiTE: SILLYFLOWER V BRIANG

[sillyflower]

Continuing to catch up

T43 just rescued the isolated inf xx and widened the base of the 'finger. No screenshots.

[sillyflower]

T44



The mud O continues to widen the base of the 'finger' as units from 1 Pz Army and 18th Army continue to arrive as quickly as the rail network allows. Soviet troops seem to prefer routing to holding their ground when attacked as I try to clear the rail lines so that they can be converted.

[STEF78]

ORIGINAL: sillyflower

Thoughts on T41

Very happy with the snow O. Railhead can be seen by position of the 18th Army div on their train. I have 2 FBDs in the Kuban at the moment, and the other 2 will join them after Crimea. Mud will give a chance to rail all I can into the Kuban. I don't see any point in leaving troops to try to capture S'pool come clear weather - the Romanians can make themselves useful by investing it.

Not much Brian can do without much of an army, though Stef's successful defence of the Caucasus will no doubt encourage him a bit. However, I will start a lot further forward than Bobo did and that is a huge advantage. Stef also had a much larger army than Brian.

You did a very good job in Crimea (or maybe Brian was too ambitious there).

Mud will slow your advance in the South but Brian will have to take difficult décisions. Caucasus isn't lost yet but you are in much better position than Bobo was.

Great AAR! Impatiently waiting for the "killing" summer 1942 campaign.

[sillyflower]

Thanks Stef.

Mud is not too much of a problem at the moment. I had probably got as far as I could with the troops I had in the Kuban, as Brian's pocket showed. I'm pouring in new combat power far faster than he seems to be, including elite inf divs from other armies, and I'm either in or close to the parts that are in the European weather zone which will be clear of mud in May and June.

That said, like you, I was waiting impatiently for the clear weather and Brian is now having to do his first clear turn. No spoilers, but I am sure that I had more fun with T47 than he is right now [:D].

Bobo did well in the Kuban in your game, but I think he made 2 big mistakes

1 He did the Hitler thing in going for a 2nd objective (Stalingrad) before the first (Baku) was secured, so he got neither.

2. What he did not do, but I shall not disclose that until I do it.

I will have an easier time than him because I'm ahead of his timetable but more importantly my Wehrmacht is stronger than his was, and Brian's a lot weaker than yours.

[swkuh]

Great AAR, KUDOS both gamers.

Appreciate your comment in re one vs. multiple objectives. Applies to many situations, even micro-plays.

[821Bobo]

Bobo did well in the Kuban in your game, but I think he made 2 big mistakes

1 He did the Hitler thing in going for a 2nd objective (Stalingrad) before the first (Baku) was secured, so he got neither.

1. With the +1 thing I had harder 41 and Blizzard and that kept me in worse position in 42.
2. The mistake I made was mismanaging fuel supplies in the drive toward Caucasus. Sending one more Pz Army would have been for no help because they would get stuck at Machackala with no fuel.

[sillyflower]

T45





Rinse and repeat of T44.

[Michael T]

For someone who don't like playing the G's you ain't doin too bad [8D]

[sillyflower]

Admittedly, given the current position, being G is more fun than being R, but this was always planned to be my last G game, which is why I have been happy to give away all my secrets...........

[rainman2015]

Newbie AAR related question. As i read more and more AARs, i wonder, how do yall write AARs while being in the middle of an actual game, without giving your plans and strategy away to your opponent? Do you simply wait one turn? Even doing that, you will still be saying things in an AAR that will give things away it seems.

Looking forward to seeing how the summer offensive goes!

Randy

[sillyflower]

Several answers

1 AARs usually run a few turns behind the actual game. I normally post 2 turns behind in this AAR.

2 Most ban their opponent from viewing. OK, you can't stop them but it might be very embarrassing if someone saw that I was looking at Brian's AAR, and posted that on Brian's AAR. That has happened - with 2 different players I hasten to add.

3 Many AARs are little more than screenshots with comment at a tactical level, as opposed to giving away plans.

4 I'm not sure, for example, how much Brian could learn from reading my AAR. He knows as well as anyone where I'm going on my summer trip.

[chaos45]

yep typically you keep the screen shots several turns behind where you. Also depends on the situation in the game how far behind. Basically in the one I did if I was building a rear defense line or preparing a major offensive would hold screens showing any prep work for them until either the new defense line was reached of my offensive in full swing. Just save them in a file with a turn number on them to go back and post on the forums when you get to a point that OPSEC isnt needed anymore lol

[rainman2015]

OK,

So, several turns delay and not giving away strategic plans, and not having the opponent read them, at least for awhile

However, if the opponent did read them, even if they are several turns delayed, you would still be able to see (as the Soviets in 41 for example) German armies or PzCorps on the move, for example, where 2nd army was headed in the early months of the war, or a shifting PzCorps that was hiding in its shift, but in the screenshot can't hide anymore. If the opponent was not watching, then no problem, if he was, then not a huge deal, but gives away more than wanted.

And part of the fun of an AAR would be to divulge your overall strategy plan and to see if you could follow it, but that would not work in case your opponent read the AAR.

I am still a fair newbie, have played the 41 campaign quite a bit but never into 42 yet, and playing against a Soviet (good friend) that we have played a bunch of scenarios together, but this is his first campaign against a human. Thought about doing an AAR (have the screenshots) but figure no one would be interested in seeing what two newbies like us are doing...

Randy

[Northern Star]

You will have at least one reader [:)]
I await your screenshots, it will be interesting...

[EwaldvonKleist]

I am a complete noob myself and i think an a bit experienced Axis player against a soviet noob is most historical
You have at least two readers [:)]

[rainman2015]

Will likely do my first AAR then. I am getting pretty good at playing the game, so not a total newbie by any means, just haven't seen what to do in certain situations yet.

I choose to give my opponent no Lvov pocket (consider it gamey) and full blizzard to give him some advantages (which i have only played as the Germans once in the Typhoon scenario, should be interesting to see how full blizzard plays in a campaign, expecting it to be much nastier, have been reading a lot of forum threads of how to handle it). So, the blizzard will be interesting to see how it goes.

My one concern about doing an AAR is that the game could spin out of control for him as he is still learning what to do and not to do defending as the Soviets (he is learning fast that not having units with ZOCs in the rear leads to easy encirclements). We are committed to playing it thru unless a total disaster on one side, so will see.

Will stop hijacking this AAR now, thanks...

Randy

[sillyflower]

That wasn't hijacking rainman, or if it was it was constructive and worthwhile.I'm glad we've helped you to turn war correspondent

[sillyflower]

T46 - last of the universal mud so lots of screenshots




No significant movement for ages, bu at least Finn-fans can see their whole army for the first time

[sillyflower]

centre



Again pretty static, but red army is now adjacent to Moscow - not that that will do them any good.

[sillyflower]

south



Quite aggressive positioning attacks in the last turn as the units I was facing were very weak. As reinforcements continue to arrive, the tip of the spear has become the blade of the battleaxe. Note the SS cav xx sneaking westwards to try to be in a position to outflank Brian's west flank.as I want to try to take Krasnodar and Novorossiysk and to meet up with the elements of 18th Army massed to cross over from the Crimea. The FBD in the Crimea is getting ready to move to the Caucasus as the rail lines in the Crimea are converted to to the front lines at Kerch and S'pool.