Connect Four Team Game

[weinsoldner]

What we expected to see was the Soviets digging in at the Luga Line defense

[weinsoldner]

The Soviets are putting up a strong defense in the North on all roads leading to Leningrad. Despite just slow progress the Axis were able to inflict high (tank)losses on the Soviets

[weinsoldner]

Big tank losses

[weinsoldner]

Big loss ratio

[weinsoldner]

In the South Soviet tank losses were even bigger

[weinsoldner]

Reserved for further Axis comments on turn 7

[xhoel]

ORIGINAL: weinsoldner

Big tank losses

Heavy losses indeed. Why did you choose to attack Pskov directly? And why was no artillery support provided?

[weinsoldner]

@xhoel sometimes you are frustraties by the lack of progress and against better judgement decide to attack a city using tanks.
SU’s are divided between commanders and used. My SU’s were used elsewhere because this attack wasn’t supposed to happen.

[xhoel]

ORIGINAL: weinsoldner

@xhoel sometimes you are frustraties by the lack of progress and against better judgement decide to attack a city using tanks.
SU’s are divided between commanders and used. My SU’s were used elsewhere because this attack wasn’t supposed to happen.

Been there, done that, so I can sympathize. However I would advise you against attacking heavy fortified cities like this one without support units. Those losses add up as time goes by. But you did have quite a bad luck with that Tank Division activating in reserve as well as the huge amount of artillery the Soviets brought into battle. Better luck next time!

[thedoctorking]

We are big believers in artillery. We have a bunch and we make sure it is available whenever we expect to have to fight. It is surprising that many Axis attacks in this game have gone off with no artillery support. I don't know if it's that they don't have enough units or if their commanders are failing their initiative rolls to commit the SU's to battle. But over and over again, whole German corps will attack, in what are apparently deliberate attacks, and no or very few fire support SU's will be present.

[xhoel]

ORIGINAL: thedoctorking

We are big believers in artillery. We have a bunch and we make sure it is available whenever we expect to have to fight. It is surprising that many Axis attacks in this game have gone off with no artillery support. I don't know if it's that they don't have enough units or if their commanders are failing their initiative rolls to commit the SU's to battle. But over and over again, whole German corps will attack, in what are apparently deliberate attacks, and no or very few fire support SU's will be present.

That is the way to go really. The Soviets should use artillery as much as possible. I think they may be having problems with directing their SUs where they are needed because otherwise the Axis have enough artillery to fill their Corps up. In any case entering a battle (either defense or attack) without artillery is not the way to go.

[thedoctorking]

Connect 4 Soviet AAR, turn 7

Starting with turn 6, I added German infantry divisions to my intel tracking spreadsheet, making it unreasonably large to be included in an AAR. I have attached the file for those interested in opening the spreadsheet and seeing how much we know about Axis movements. The biggest take-away from this was that we were able to confirm that at least two panzer divisions that had been operating south of the marshes have now rejoined Army Group Center in the land bridge region. This reinforces our assessment that this is now the main focus of the Axis offensive.

German turn 7 was relatively quiet. In the north 4th Panzer Group continued to move into the swamps along the Lovat and Polist rivers south of Lake Ilmen. They may be intending a turning maneuver to get around NW Front’s left, but it is also possible that they are positioning themselves for a move into the Valdai Hills to break through Reserve Front. A relatively light German infantry force is operating in this region, apparently consisting entirely of 18th Army. One large corps has occupied northern Estonia, while the other two push unsuccessfully against our defenses around Pskov.

[thedoctorking]

Farther to the south, in the land bridge region, German mechanized forces advanced but did not make any dramatic moves. This suggests again that they are stockpiling fuel and ammo, preparing for some major attacks. Meanwhile, three infantry armies, 16th, 4th, and 9th, are concentrated in the area. My tactical withdrawal on turn 6 allowed significant German infantry forces to cross the Dnepr, where they could make deliberate attacks against my positions in the coming turn, clearing the way for a major exploitation by refueled panzers

[thedoctorking]

At the southern end of this sector, and blending into the swamp sector, we find some elements of 9th Army along with infantry that began the game attached to 2nd Panzer Group. Some players increase the infantry component of the Panzer Groups in order to fill them to or even beyond capacity. Most German Panzer Groups consist of two corps of three or four divisions each or about 20 CU, meaning they have room for a couple more infantry divisions. I believe that this is what has happened at least with 2nd PG. It is possible that the forces along the rail line to Gomel all belong to 2nd PG now. This group was unable to cross the Dnepr against resistance from 10th Army in the Gomel region, and crossed the Pripyat farther south near Chernobyl, closing on the Dnepr in that area. They are supported by 6th Army. All German units in the swamp sector have very poor supplies, with a division of 6th Army having a supply path of 78 – almost isolated.

[thedoctorking]

On the central Dnepr, 1st Panzer Group continued to press forward against Southwestern Front in the vicinity of Cherkassy. They didn’t move very far because they were isolated at the start of the turn and presumably had little or no fuel. It is possible that the Axis gave them HQBU’s this turn, though I think it more likely that they went to 3rd Panzer Group in the center. A somewhat more vigorous effort to screen their flanks with Axis allied units – Hungarians to the north and Romanian cavalry to the south – means that another cavalry raid is probably not in the cards for this turn. The Axis finally appear to be learning their lesson about unsupported armor spearheads. There is very little German infantry in this area. Elements of 17th and 11th Armies are scattered across the area, but nowhere in sufficient strength to threaten our strongpoints. The fact that I can’t see 2nd Army is disturbing – somewhere, there is an entire German infantry army waiting, no doubt, to spring out and surprise us at the worst moment.

[thedoctorking]

At the southern end of the line, the Germans could use some more infantry. The position between the armored spearhead at Cherkassy and the mouth of the Dnepr is held by a reinforced German corps and some Romanian cavalry. Ironically, this is the area with the best Axis supply. Taking advantage of their rapid capture of Odessa, two rail repair units have been working busily along the Black Sea coast (despite some interruptions by our cavalry a couple of turns ago), and their rail head is already up to Nikolaev. Thus, that minimal screen of Axis units in southern Ukraine has the best supply status in the whole army.

[thedoctorking]

In the south Ukraine sector, we attempted a counter attack. The goal was to gain some victories for our guys, advancing them towards Guards status, to delay the advancing rail repair by one hex, and to frighten the Germans into committing some more troops to the sector. Only problem is, as has been depressingly common, the attacks were unsuccessful. We were able to retreat to our starting position, where we have good defensive terrain, so I don’t think the consequences will be too severe. But the Soviet attack weakness in the early game has been a major factor. We look at the displayed combat value of our units and think we have a 2:1 or even 3:1 ratio, but when the attack is actually resolved, we are at 1:1.3 or some such. This despite plenty of air support, support units, good generals, and all the advantages. Oh well, historically accurate.

[thedoctorking]

On the middle Dnepr, our Southern Front left a screen along the Ingulets and withdrew most of its strength behind the Dnepr from Dnepropetrovsk to Cherkassy. Southwestern Front matched this move, defending mostly behind the river up to Kiev. We are hoping by this maneuver to divert 1st Panzer Group from its intended crossing at Cherkassy in favor of a move downriver towards Dnepropetrovsk. The longer supply line and denser terrain on the lower Dnepr should slow them and keep them away from our factories. In and north of Kiev, we assigned three STAVKA armies to Orel Military District, anticipating next turn’s conversion into Bryansk Front. We withdrew to the central city hex of Kiev, inviting 17th Army to urban combat while removing our best divisions across the river.

[thedoctorking]

We continued to delay 2nd Panzer Group in the swamps to the north of the city, while 10th and 33rd Armies of our central sector withdrew behind the Sozh River. Western Front stretched itself in this area a bit, committing more of its strength to the land bridge region to the north. There is a potential breakthrough at the north end of this sector, but with only one motorized unit visible north of Gomel, I judge it unlikely that the Germans will be able to do much damage here next turn.

[thedoctorking]

The land bridge region is the most imperiled, in my judgement, at least for the next few turns. German armored reinforcements have turned up here, and the very small movement of 3rd Panzer Group’s divisions suggests an HQBU. The Germans have two potential major envelopments that they could try. The first would be to the south, against 3rd Army behind the Sozh, perhaps with the assistance of 2nd Panzer Group’s northern elements. The second, and more likely in my opinion, is to the north, with 3rd Panzer Group moving up the seam between the upper Dvina and Dnepr rivers while 4th Panzer Group pushes through the swamps and Valdai hills to join with them around the upper Volga. This would be a daring move, not the sort of thing the Axis have been willing to try in this game so far. But if they want to regain momentum, they have to destroy lots of Soviet units pretty soon. This is their best chance right now. I have positioned 20th and 29th Armies to hinder these moves, and spent some of our few AP to replace 20th Army’s commander. I’ve put a good “checkerboard” of reserve units behind the front to slow the advancing panzers, and four strongpoints on both sides of the Dnepr-Dvina gap that hopefully will require deliberate attacks to clear. Panzers that make deliberate attacks don’t generally have a lot of movement points left afterwards. If worst comes to worst, I have Zhukov on the Dnepr near Dorogobuzh to launch a counterattack and hopefully open the pocket.