FITE2 Cantonia Allies larry Axis

[larryfulkerson]

We're on T22 now and this is the way the northern front lines look like south of Leningrad. I've been pretty much stymied, thwarted, and the Soviets are fighting back on occasion. I've brought up about 15 units of arty and spread them out and I'm hoping that the new arty will make the difference and get the advance going again. I just need to break a hole in the Soviet lines somewhere.

[larryfulkerson]

Up near the NW corner of the front lines I've almost cleared out all the hexes that Soviet units might be lurking in and I'm noticing that those CD guns guarding the small islands just offshore and I'm wondering what their ranges are and whether or not I should try to destroy them with some of my RR arty. They are not strategicly significant yet and I have hopes that I can get my ships through all that firepower, somehow, on my way to the Baltic Sea. I've checked it out and I haven't found a navigatable path through there. I might have to invade each of them to kill the guns from the land rather than get into a gun duel using my ships. I can't see any other way.

[larryfulkerson]

It's T22 and this is the supply situation in the NE corner of the front lines. The Axis forces are tired from constantly moving to reach this spot as soon as possible. I'm probably going to have to hold up here for a couple of turns to let everybody rest a little bit. The Soviet planes haven't been a major problem so far and I have little trouble moving the units around. The railhead is taking it's sweet time getting close to here but the supply level is adequate for sustained operations for about two turns and then everybody has to rest again.

[larryfulkerson]

To the northeast of Pskov there is now a fully formed front line and the fighting is spotty and uneven. The supply levels are great and progress is stopped as the resistance of the Soviets is enough to stop the advance. I just need to break the Soviet line somewhere and get into their backfield. I'm going to need a lot more troops to take proper advantage of any hole that appears. To roll back on the lines and surround and destroy the Soviets.

[larryfulkerson]

I'm having a really hard time trying to get across the river down near Kiev and I've called in some airstrikes and I've got several arty units in support and it's not enough to push the Soviet units back. I'm hoping that I can bombard and attack enough times for enough turns that I'll eventually get across. Each attack is costly though and I'm using up my on-hand squads a little at a time. I'm trying to rotate the tired units to the rear and replace them with a fresh unit and to always have at least one regiment resting and refitting.

[larryfulkerson]

It's T22 and I'm still not in a position to threaten Leningrad. My whole advance has been really slow. It seems like it took a really long time to get into this configuration. Most of the progress has been made in the south where the Soviets aren't so congested. There's huge gaps in the Soviet frontage and I can slip units through there. The problem in the south is the shortage of supply.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what Kiev looks like now. I'm trying to get around the front rank and get into the space behind them so that I can try to cut off the escape possibility for the Soviet defenders. I want to kill as many of them as I can. The troops further south are moving east toward the river and I'm hoping to draw as many Soviet units up to the river to defend so that I can move south on the east side of the river and catch them before they can escape to the east. So most of these people can rail themselves north to the place where we have a path across the river to move south, around the Gomel area I think.

[larryfulkerson]

I'm going through the OOB moving units and I've come to one that looks like it got ambushed or something. Severe losses from one or more battles I guess. I'm going to rail this guy to Berlin and let him refit in comfort. There's plenty of time until the mud season starts.

[larryfulkerson]

The Rumanians seem to be split up into two large groups and I need to shift the northern group of Rumanians to the south so they can be responsible for moving toward Kharkov after we successfully capture D-town and can move into the areas east of the river. I'm trying to reach the river so that the Soviets might have to defend and cause them to extend their front line longer than they have so far. I have no idea where I moved the Slavic units and there's so few of them that I'm going to use them as garrison troops.

[gliz2]

Just a teeny-tiny nitpicking: Slovakian not "Slavic".

PS. I use them for anti-partisant duties and they do perform well.

[larryfulkerson]

The fighting is terrible and the losses are heavy but I'm slowly getting my forces across the river. The supply level on the east side of the river is low so I'll need to grab as many crossings as I can. The going is slow because of the difficult terrain and the fierce resistance of the Soviets.