FIFTY SHADES OF WiTE: SILLYFLOWER V BRIANG

[sillyflower]

Every Tiger tank + Ferdinand/Elephant I have + the 2 independent tk bns with over 90 panzers each are in the 1st SS Pz xxx which has the 4 SS divs + GD so I'm up for giving his C/O a spanking especially if he leads with his armour. I did retreat a couple of tk xx in my turn, which came as a surprise so there's probably more somewhere near.

[bigbaba]

holy moly. such pockets can kill the red army in the long run. espacialy with so many MP centers overrun by the wehrmacht. i guess the game is more or less over and have deep respect for BG for keep fighting.

[M60A3TTS]

I trust the forum will agree that once the time comes, this AAR should be stickied. We have some older ones out there that wouldn't hurt to be replaced.

[chaos45]

Well played attack....be extremely tough for Brian to extract much from the pocket.

[sillyflower]

T106 which is currently with Brian.




He got 3 corps out via the hole, but they routed out with heavy losses, and the hex is now occupied by 2 SS divs with a DV of 120. Rest of the pocket is equally secure. Still 7 corps (some broken down) + 5 divs in the pocket which will probably take 2 weeks to digest fully.

Looses over the turn cycle were 12.7K to 51.4K and in the air the LW wreaked havoc with total losses 139 axis (inc. about 20 Romanian) to 891 Bolsheviks.

[HardLuckYetAgain]

Only way Brian is getting out of this Pocket is with this card. I hope he has one.....

[ericv]

The 2 finnish occupied hexes directly to the north of the pocket look a lot weaker than the hexes occupied by the germans.

Wether it is advisable to attack them, I don't know. It is not going to safe these corps in the long run, but it is going to buy another week.

Looking at Brian's play, I wouldn't be surprised that he is going to try to clear these hexes and reopen the pocket with the Tankarmy and a few rifle corps a couple of hexes away. Doesn't look impossible.

[ericv]

I second m60a3tts motion to sticky silly's AAR. and brian's for that matter. Very educational stuff

[sillyflower]

ORIGINAL: ericv

The 2 finnish occupied hexes directly to the north of the pocket look a lot weaker than the hexes occupied by the germans.

Wether it is advisable to attack them, I don't know. It is not going to safe these corps in the long run, but it is going to buy another week.

Looking at Brian's play, I wouldn't be surprised that he is going to try to clear these hexes and reopen the pocket with the Tankarmy and a few rifle corps a couple of hexes away. Doesn't look impossible.

He's going to be very hard pushed to get starting odds of 1:1 vs the first hex, then he has to get troops ZOC to ZOC into that hex with enough MPs and strength to defeat a DV of 19. If he does, he risks an extended pocket which would suit me [:D]. He tells me he's finishing his turn tonight so I will soon know.

[ericv]

risking another extended pocket didn;t stop him from performing actions like these in the past [:D] We're going to find out soon anyway!

thanks by the way for the AAR. really good stuff!

[sillyflower]

The Brianites did not make any real effort to break the pocket. I reduced the pocket a bit but sent the SS to pocket 4 more rifle xxx NE of the pocket. Pic to follow in due course.

[sillyflower]

Here's what I did





I would not be surprised if Brian broke the new pocket where it is held by a single pz xx under the parachute marker, and got 2 xxx out, but it was more fun than doing nothing but reducing the big pocket.

[sillyflower]

I forgot to add the stats. Over the whole turn cycle (I do love the new casualty reports - well done Morvael/Denniss) 12.2K G to 108.1K R.R casualties in my turn only about 60 or 65K from memory which was disappointingly low for the loss of 3 rifle xxx, 2 rifle xx and 3 regts but maybe I should be glad the Brian's units continue to be very under-strength. Air 123 axis( only half G) to 616 Brianites.

[sillyflower]

T108 north





Predictably, Brian opened the new pocket and got half of his men out by making sure that they retreated /routed east rather than back where they came from. Sealed with the SS so I expect the 2 remaining rifle xxx to be mine next turn. Otherwise all effort went on clearing out the original pocket.

[Platypus]

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS

I trust the forum will agree that once the time comes, this AAR should be stickied. We have some older ones out there that wouldn't hurt to be replaced.

Great idea. [:'(]
Just finished reading every post in Silly's AAR since the 2015 start.
What a riveting and a cracking great report.

A couple of questions Silly.
Have you tried using the LW to interdict/destroy his rail network, either behind the front line [TAC AIR] and/or back into the Urals [STRAT or Long-range AIR]?

OPERATION STRANGLE by the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces [M.A.A.F.] in the Italian Theatre - reported successes with these tactics.

Source: Operation STRANGLE -Italy, Spring 1944 - A Case Study of Tactical Air Interdiction, by F.M. Sallagar. USAF Project RAND, publisher.
Link: OP STRANGLE - USAF & Project RAND

Is this modeled into the gameplay?
If not, then should it be considered?

Great AAR, Silly, not just for the images & rationale behind your tactics, but the humour & ripostes certainly add flavour.
Well done!!

[sillyflower]

Thank you Platypus. You can't bomb rail lines though you can fly interdiction missions against units that move. They have their place, but not now as far as I'm concerned. As for bombing Bolshevik production factories, I never bother, nor do I know of anyone else who has to any useful effect.

The WiTW air system is very different but I don't play that so am not in a position to comment usefully. I believe WiTE 2 will be very similar to WiTW.

[sillyflower]

The Brianites try to be bold in the east.



A cav xxx is left a little exposed in hex 1, and regular readers will know of my obsession with killing cavalry units. After some careful herding, started by sending armour behind it to ensure a retreat to hex 2, I move it to a place of safety where it will be safe from rescue. The secret is to make sure that the retreat path you want is into a hex with no enemy ZOC in. Ensures that is where the retreating unit goes, and greatly reduces the chances of the unit routing which would spoil everything.

Gil Favour would be proud of me [8D]. For those who don't know who he is, he was the trail boss in the long running TV western series 'Rawhide' about a cattle drive and which also starred a young Clint Eastwood. Was one of my favourite TV shows in my childhood , and still is over 50 years later: to the despair of the real Sillyflower. Oh well, I have never pretended to be a grown-up.

[HardLuckYetAgain]

ORIGINAL: sillyflower



Gil Favour would be proud of me [8D]. For those who don't know who he is, he was the trail boss in the long running TV western series 'Rawhide' about a cattle drive and which also starred a young Clint Eastwood. Was one of my favourite TV shows in my childhood , and still is over 50 years later: to the despair of the real Sillyflower. Oh well, I have never pretended to be a grown-up.

Did you have the, "G.I. Joe with the Kung Fu" grip too? Chuck Norris would be proud of you! Because you have a pretty good "Kung FU" grip of the situation against Brianite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g5vH9A8t9I

[sillyflower]

Dolls never interested me

[smokindave34]

ORIGINAL: sillyflower

Dolls never interested me

For the record, G.I. Joe was an "action figure"....not a doll