We only have to kick down the door..........

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1941
Impulse: 3 (Axis)

The latest butcher's bill. I never got the hang of when to convert and when to retreat. I wonder if I made the right move......

[brian brian]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Army Group South: General Dumitrescu's 3rd Romanian Army and General Ciuperca's 4th Romanian Army operate under the command of General Schobert's 11th Army and are strung out precariously along the west bank of the Dneistr. Schobert's own units cross the river into the Western Ukraine. Von Stulpnagel's 17th Army meanwhile takes Lvov and seeks to dispense with the Soviet 1st Cavalry that is expertly blocking the general advance.

this is a small something that would have different results in this scenario vs. a game of the Global War scenario. In the impulse-by-impulse war at the operational level, moving into western Ukraine across the upper Dneistr would put a slight additional pressure on the Soviet defense of Kiev, but only a slight one as the Germans really need the armor in Army Group South to really advance; that armor was still clearing the last Soviet unit in eastern Poland. still, worth doing to add to that pressure.

in a game of Global War, this move would be ill-advised as it would allow the Russians to rail move their first factory to Siberia, which is of little consequence in the Barbarossa scenario. playing Global War, the Germans should first cross the border into Russian Home Country (which includes Bessarabia) at multiple points from north to south, unless they can possibly block the movement of the Odessa factory by some sort of coup-de-main or poor Russian deployment in the area.

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

May/Jun 1941
Impulse: 3 (Axis)

The latest butcher's bill. I never got the hang of when to convert and when to retreat. I wonder if I made the right move......

That depends on the answer to this question. Do you want to advance as fast as possible, or do you want to kill as many units as possible.

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

May/Jun 1941
Impulse: 3 (Axis)

The Germans choose a land - I don't seem to have any Italians. My reading of the scenarios booklet is that an Italian reinforcement was supposed to have arrived next month turn but there's nothing in the pool. Anyways that's a problem for later.

This was a bug that was just fixed. Even though we have updated our game version we would have needed to restart to have the Italian included

May I suggest that, instead of adding a Italian with the debug feature, we have a symbolic Italian on the map during end of turn that protects a hex, with ZOC, from partisans. And that we modify the partisan roll with one extra German garrison point.

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

May/Jun 1941
Impulse: 3 (Axis)

Ground Strike: a 75% success rate is achieved, albeit the Luftwaffe have used their best aircraft now. Still the strutting, preening, porcine Goering, sticking his stupid fat chest out, and with a dumbarse look on his face, is not complaining about that.

Germany seems to have been so eager to launch this offensive that they didn't bother scrapping their antique aircraft. Fortunately they had some luck with the draw so they got a few excellent aircraft.

Although, currently, I wish they hadn't been this good. [;)] [:D]

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Orm

ORIGINAL: warspite1

May/Jun 1941
Impulse: 3 (Axis)

The Germans choose a land - I don't seem to have any Italians. My reading of the scenarios booklet is that an Italian reinforcement was supposed to have arrived next month turn but there's nothing in the pool. Anyways that's a problem for later.

This was a bug that was just fixed. Even though we have updated our game version we would have needed to restart to have the Italian included

May I suggest that, instead of adding a Italian with the debug feature, we have a symbolic Italian on the map during end of turn that protects a hex, with ZOC, from partisans. And that we modify the partisan roll with one extra German garrison point.

warspite1

To be fair, not having the Italian 8th Army pretty much ruins any chance of defeating the Soviets.... I mean, I was relying on those guys...

[:D]

Your solution sounds good to me.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1941
Impulse: 5 (Axis)

Weather Report: The weather remains fine in the Soviet theatre.
The Soviets evacuate Latvia, moving the 5th Rifle Army back into Estonia. Eastern Poland too is completely emptied of Soviet defenders, but Minsk is defended by a high quality Militia unit. It's a different story in the south where Timoshenko has chosen to mount a strong defence of western Ukraine.

The Germans take another land action.

Naval Air: None
Strategic Bombing: None
Ground Strikes: None
Rail Movement: None
Land Movement: With many of the blocking units gone, the Wehrmacht order a general move forward. OKH decides to stop mucking around and orders units north and south of the Pripyat. 11th and 17th Armies join up in the Western Ukraine.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1941
Impulse: 5 (Axis)

Land Combat:

Two attacks are announced. Minsk and against 2nd Rifle Army - the Soviet formation furthest west in the Ukraine. The attack in Ukraine is automatic and, in line with standing instructions, I do not fly aircraft in defence. Even adding 3-points would still not make the attack anything but automatic.

At Minsk, the Germans are in a quandary. They are running out of aircraft, but do not have fighters that can intercept. This would leave the Soviets with a freebie to reduce the odds. von Leeb decides that the Belorussian capital is too important a target and orders Luftwaffe support. An He-115c is flown in with fighter support to ward off Soviet interest in proceedings.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1941
Impulse: 5 (Axis)

The attack on Minsk is a 5:1 +1 (once again the 6th Panzer Engineer Division do sterling work) and the Soviets choose assault. A 6 is thrown which is good enough to take the city and open up the route to to Moscow - albeit at a mounting cost in Luftwaffe units.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1941
Impulse: 5 (Axis)

Air Rebase: The Germans have kept four in reserve but frankly, they need double that. Four fighters are re-based forward - two in the north and two in the south.
HQ Reorganisation: This is tempting in order to get my bomber aircraft back in the fray - but its too early.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1941
Impulse: 5 (Axis)

The losses mount for the Soviets - but the number of attacks and their cost has dropped sharply....

Perhaps more worrying is the wall of Soviet units that faces von Rundstedt in the south, and the horrible terrain - marsh, forest, rivers - in the north.

[warspite1]

A little bird tells me that the weather has turned [&:]

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

A little bird tells me that the weather has turned [&:]

I don't know if it has turned. But the weather is absolutely terrible. Fine everywhere. [:(]

With 30% chance of rain I think it only fair to have some rain once in a while. So where is my rain? [&:]

[Courtenay]

ORIGINAL: Orm

ORIGINAL: warspite1

A little bird tells me that the weather has turned [&:]

I don't know if it has turned. But the weather is absolutely terrible. Fine everywhere. [:(]

With 30% chance of rain I think it only fair to have some rain once in a while. So where is my rain? [&:]

Don't worry, it's coming. It will come when YOU are the German player. [:)]

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: Courtenay

ORIGINAL: Orm

ORIGINAL: warspite1

A little bird tells me that the weather has turned [&:]

I don't know if it has turned. But the weather is absolutely terrible. Fine everywhere. [:(]

With 30% chance of rain I think it only fair to have some rain once in a while. So where is my rain? [&:]

Don't worry, it's coming. It will come when YOU are the German player. [:)]

[:D]

Indeed. [:)]

Thank you for the laugh. [&o]

[warspite1]

May/June 1941
Impulse: 7 (Axis)

Despite the earlier comment, it appears there was more than a trace of irony in the weather forecast emanating from my opponents meteorological office...

Port Attack: None
Naval Air: None
Strategic Bombing: None
Ground Strike: None (saving the moves is seen as more important)
Rail Movement: None. I should have used this earlier, not having played Barbarossa before I had no real idea of what to do. I will have to try and remember this for the future - but will probably forget anyway.

[warspite1]

May/June 1941
Impulse: 7 (Axis)

Land Movement: Those who think the German General Staff in WWII were paragons of military brilliance at all times, take note. The internal squabbling that was a feature of the French Campaign raises its ugly head once more.

The panzer commanders want to take their panzergruppen, unsupported, deep into enemy territory and strike at ridiculous odds (courtesy of continued brilliant Soviet defence). However, the more conservative amongst the ranks insist that the infantry be allowed to catch-up. The Fuhrer - starting to fret over the way in which this faltering campaign is going - agrees with his less daring (but probably more sensible on this occasion) generals. There will be no attacks this impulse.

In Army Group North's zone of operations, von Bock orders a heavily reinforced Panzergruppe I into Estonia. XLIII Infantry Corps is detached from 16th Army and seeks to outflank the Soviet 5th Rifle Army north of Lake Peipus.

Further south, von Leeb's Army Group Centre takes the sage military advice of Grace Jones and uses this time to push up to the bumper baby. The extreme right flank is held by two corps of 9th Army - the XXXVII Infantry and VII (SS) Infantry - east of Minsk. But they are all too wary of the huge gap between themselves and the left flank of Army Group South.....

[warspite1]

May/June 1941
Impulse: 7 (Axis)

Land Movement (Cont): The story chez AGS is much the same, with von Rundstedt's armies looking to consolidate their gains and allow the Luftwaffe to catch-up. Heads will have to roll at the Luftwaffe as a Dornier 217 unit is stuck, for want of supplies, in Eastern Poland.

In fact the most likely flashpoint in AGS theatre of operations at present is in Romania. The Hungarian Cavalry Corps has taken up residence in Cernauti. Antonescu complains to Hitler about this blatant provocation and threatens to leave Odessa and environs, cross back across the Dneister with the Romanian 3rd and 4th Armies and deal once and for all with the Magyars.

Allies - who needs 'em [8|]

[warspite1]

May/June 1941
Impulse: 7 (Axis)

Air rebase: Four units are re-positioned closer to the front.
HQ Reorganisation: None
End of Turn: The turn could end on a 2. A 6 is thrown and so it's back to the Soviets.

There is no butcher's bill to update as there was no actual fisticuffs - Hungarian/Romanian handbags notwithstanding [:)].

[Orm]

I think you misread the end of turn chance. The turn could have ended on a die roll of less than two. Or it was a bug.