Teun557 (Axis) vs Seminole (Soviet) - Bitter End

[Seminole]

ORIGINAL: Balou

ORIGINAL: Seminole
Turn 26
Paratroopers descend behind the lines and sever the main rail line supplying the Germans all the way to Dnepropetrovsk.

How do you know that ? By mousing over?

Reports of enemy rail activity provided by partisan forces. [;)]
The FBD appears to be working southwestward back toward Odessa, so the drop should create a serious and lasting disruption to strategic movement and supply.

[Telemecus]

ORIGINAL: Balou

ORIGINAL: Seminole
Turn 26
Paratroopers descend behind the lines and sever the main rail line supplying the Germans all the way to Dnepropetrovsk.

How do you know that ? By mousing over?

In answer to the technical question yes mouse over works, and there are other ways too. In the example below you will see it says Axis rail damage is 1 - which almost always means it is a hex that has just been repaired this turn and so will be with zero damage by next turn.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: xhoel

ORIGINAL: Telemecus

I think this is a prime example of why you should never put a group of southern allies together to cover whole stretches of the front. Unlike others I do think you should use them on the frontlines in blizzard, they have extensive uses but not like this. The Rumanians and other southern allies need to be mixed in with German units and under the same HQs. You can put southern allies into German HQs, or German units into allied HQs. But above all do not hold a whole section of line just with allies. One possibilty might be alteranting allies and Germans, or have a first line of allies and a second line of Germans. The allies simply will not hold long continguos sections of the front exclsuively on their own.

Strongly agree with this. I commented the same thing to Neogodhobo in his AAR against TheLysander. It is a shame to see players repeat the same mistakes over and over again, when a quick glance at other AARs will show them what is a good strategy and what is a no go.

I believe the term for using Germans to stiffen allied troops was 'corseting'. The Germans used it in North Africa as well.

[Crackaces]

This game is attack +1 and Harsh winter. I would require Telemecus to agree to this setup but your opponent is likely to give up. The German’s have not demonstrated any advanced skills and are about to be depleted, morale for the best units will be smashed, and the +1 is going to give you enough Guards units to stop any attacks.

I would wager that the Germans will discover this between turn 45 and 50.

[Telemecus]

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: xhoel

ORIGINAL: Telemecus
I think this is a prime example of why you should never put a group of southern allies together to cover whole stretches of the front. Unlike others I do think you should use them on the frontlines in blizzard, they have extensive uses but not like this. The Rumanians and other southern allies need to be mixed in with German units and under the same HQs. You can put southern allies into German HQs, or German units into allied HQs. But above all do not hold a whole section of line just with allies. One possibilty might be alteranting allies and Germans, or have a first line of allies and a second line of Germans. The allies simply will not hold long continguos sections of the front exclsuively on their own.

Strongly agree with this. I commented the same thing to Neogodhobo in his AAR against TheLysander. It is a shame to see players repeat the same mistakes over and over again, when a quick glance at other AARs will show them what is a good strategy and what is a no go.

I believe the term for using Germans to stiffen allied troops was 'corseting'. The Germans used it in North Africa as well.

That is interesting. I know for many it has a derogatory sense for southern allies. But it can also go the other way. I personally found it really useful to put Rumanian cavalry brigades into German HQs and place them on reserve behind the German infantry when on the defensive. It is one of the few times the extra MPs did count and so they would fight more than one hex a turn and sometimes tip the balance of a battle. Rumanian mountain brigades we know can be the stronger unit in blizzard. And there are weak German units that need 'corsetting' too. Stacking allied units with German ones when they get victories is also a useful way of building up their victories/morale/XP too. I once saw a large group of Rumanian infantry (not just guards) on 60 morale this way which is useful. And if the allied units are there to take the frontline attirition, or flip back no mans land hexes to friendly control to make the enemy use up their MPs, they are positively the things you would not want german units to be doing. So perhaps should be seen less as derogatory and more as simple good sense.

I wonder if there was a terms for putting German units under allied command, as opposed to just mixing them up geographically. A famous example I guess was Rommel who was technically subservient to an italian commander. Often German generals under allied commanders did not respect chains of command in these cases, and felt they could always appeal a command to another German higher up the chain of command. But I wonder if this was always the case?

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: Telemecus

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: xhoel

Strongly agree with this. I commented the same thing to Neogodhobo in his AAR against TheLysander. It is a shame to see players repeat the same mistakes over and over again, when a quick glance at other AARs will show them what is a good strategy and what is a no go.

I believe the term for using Germans to stiffen allied troops was 'corseting'. The Germans used it in North Africa as well.

That is interesting. I know for many it has a derogatory sense for southern allies. But it can also go the other way. I personally found it really useful to put Rumanian cavalry brigades into German HQs and place them on reserve behind the German infantry when on the defensive. It is one of the few times the extra MPs did count and so they would fight more than one hex a turn and sometimes tip the balance of a battle. Rumanian mountain brigades we know can be the stronger unit in blizzard. And there are weak German units that need 'corsetting' too. Stacking allied units with German ones when they get victories is also a useful way of building up their victories/morale/XP too. I once saw a large group of Rumanian infantry (not just guards) on 60 morale this way which is useful. And if the allied units are there to take the frontline attirition, or flip back no mans land hexes to friendly control to make the enemy use up their MPs, they are positively the things you would not want german units to be doing. So perhaps should be seen less as derogatory and more as simple good sense.

I wonder if there was a terms for putting German units under allied command, as opposed to just mixing them up geographically. A famous example I guess was Rommel who was technically subservient to an italian commander. Often German generals under allied commanders did not respect chains of command in these cases, and felt they could always appeal a command to another German higher up the chain of command. But I wonder if this was always the case?

I assume that German officers felt free to disobey 'orders' from non-German superiors, notifying whoever they thought appropriate...

[Seminole]

Turn 29

Happy New Year!

The new year means a new Guards unit limit, and we have plenty of candidates:

101st AT Artillery Regiment was renamed 3rd Guards AT Artillery Regiment
103rd Artillery Regiment RVGK was renamed 2nd Guards Artillery Regiment RVGK
185th Rifle Division was renamed 24th Guards Rifle Division
438th Artillery Regiment RVGK was renamed 3rd Guards Artillery Regiment RVGK
73rd Rifle Division was renamed 25th Guards Rifle Division
387th Howitzer Regiment was renamed 3rd Guards Howitzer Regiment
117th Rifle Division was renamed 26th Guards Rifle Division
102nd Howitzer Regiment was renamed 4th Guards Howitzer Regiment
403rd BM Howitzer Regiment was renamed 5th Guards BM Howitzer Regiment
275th Artillery Regiment RVGK was renamed 4th Guards Artillery Regiment RVGK
302nd Howitzer Regiment was renamed 5th Guards Howitzer Regiment
89th Rifle Division was renamed 27th Guards Rifle Division
147th Rifle Division was renamed 28th Guards Rifle Division
193rd Rifle Division was renamed 29th Guards Rifle Division
200th Rifle Division was renamed 30th Guards Rifle Division
55th Rifle Division was renamed 31st Guards Rifle Division
6th Rifle Division was renamed 32nd Guards Rifle Division
33rd Rifle Division was renamed 33rd Guards Rifle Division
188th Rifle Division was renamed 34th Guards Rifle Division
257th Rifle Division was renamed 35th Guards Rifle Division
258th Rifle Division was renamed 36th Guards Rifle Division
270th Rifle Division was renamed 37th Guards Rifle Division
271st Rifle Division was renamed 38th Guards Rifle Division
275th Rifle Division was renamed 39th Guards Rifle Division
282nd Rifle Division was renamed 40th Guards Rifle Division
326th Rifle Division was renamed 41st Guards Rifle Division
353rd Rifle Division was renamed 42nd Guards Rifle Division
371st Rifle Division was renamed 43rd Guards Rifle Division
52nd Cavalry Division was renamed 8th Guards Cavalry Division (12th Cavalry Corps)
107th Rifle Division was renamed 44th Guards Rifle Division
109th Rifle Division was renamed 45th Guards Rifle Division
138th Rifle Division was renamed 46th Guards Rifle Division
192nd Rifle Division was renamed 47th Guards Rifle Division

Overall strategic picture at the beginning of the turn:



We start in the south where the real action is.
Southern Army's cavalry have managed to sweep away a few Rumanian units and link up.



Cavalry swarm the gaps in the German lines and 101st Light Inf (Mtn) Div finds itself isolated while the westernmost Pzr Div in the pocket is forced back.



The Soviets rout the 101st to prevent any chance of a break out and close the vise on the Krivoi Rog pocket from all sides. Yakov Cherevichenko is toasted in the Kremlin for the speed with which he closed the trap on the bulk of AGS.



Back in the northern sector Northwestern Front continues pressing. They create some gaps again in the German line, but again can't quite break free of enemy ZOC and exploit the opportunity.
South of Pskov Timoshenko nearly has the 5 cavalry corps assigned to his Front into open terrain following the Sorot river, with only a regiment of German cavalry in the way.

An close up of the whole front line:



OoB:



Destroyed Units:



Ground Losses:



Overall strategic picture at the end of the turn:

[Beria]

"Stalingrad upon the Dnepr bend"!

[Telemecus]

There was an AAR where this sort of movement in the south reached the pre war border and a 1942 Rumania and Hungary surrender. This is a possibility here.

[Balou]

Game over ? Better part of 1PzA gone, about 40+ axis counter in the southern bag, and another disaster looming south of Leningrad.

[MattFL]

Game was over about 27 turns ago.

[Seminole]

ORIGINAL: MattFL

Game was over about 27 turns ago.

Turns 1 and 2 were rough.

[Balou]

ORIGINAL: MattFL

Game was over about 27 turns ago.

You're absolutely right. Didn't see until now what happened in turn 1.

[EwaldvonKleist]

Very good progress. Even though you really burn through your replacements.
I would continue attacking at full speed even after the blizzard. Don't give him a chance to fortify.

[Seminole]

Turn 30

Overall strategic picture at the start of the turn:

AGN is pulling out of the Leningrad salient. This means we don't have to suffer against their fortifications and Leningrad Front can finally start attacking.
AGC pulls back out of contact, leaving Mogilev and Vitebsk without firing a shot. Kalinin and Western Fronts pursue as rapidly as possible.
AGS is trying to reform a line. Southern Front continues trying to overrun Axis units and create additional pockets. Transcaucasus and N. Caucasus Fronts squeeze the formations trapped in the Krivoi Rog pocket.



Zhukov's orders for a 'reconnaissance in force' are understood and heeded. Under a hammer of blows the Germans pull back toward Pskov and create a gap that Northwest Front's lone cavalry corps can finally exploit.
Orders for the para drops are issued and the first sticks come down in the swamps between lake Pskov and lake Peipus securing the handful of existing paths.
Additionally the iced in but somehow still functioning port on the Baltic was seized in a para raid.
Finally the Tallinn to Leningrad rail was again cut, this time west of the Narva river by a final para drop.
Here I failed to recall the 40% exp. rule for para drops and mistakenly had fresh inexperienced airborne as the only ones available and the remainder of my most experienced where still in the south. This meant that I couldn't complete the isolation this turn as originally planned. Zhukov begins immediate planning to seize the closest port on the Gulf of Riga.
Timoshenko's Volkhov Front has again failed to break free, and consequently he finds Zhukov seizing the glory. With Zhukov drawing up plans to funnel his army through the frozen swamps Timoshenko still hopes to find favor with Stalin by surrounding and seizing Pskov.



Southwestern Front continues pushing the flanks of Kiev looking to liberate the city while farther south the hunt for more Axis units is at full tilt.



While the Krivoi Rog pocket is being crushed in the rear attacks continue and more German units are finding themselves isolated. The German contingent is too thin at this point to concoct a line, and any attempt to stand fast leads quickly to isolation.
Nikolaev falls and Odessa doesn't appear to be far behind.



Units destroyed this week:



Ground Losses before and after Soviet action:



OoB before and after Soviet action:



VP status:



Overall strategic picture at the end of the week:

[Brandon_37]

turn 1 was probably the worst axis opening i have ever seen, i dont think anyone could have recovered from 2 clear turns lost.

[MattFL]

ORIGINAL: Brandon_37

turn 1 was probably the worst axis opening i have ever seen, i dont think anyone could have recovered from 2 clear turns lost.

Actually, Turns 1 and Turns 2 pale in comparison to what happened after. [:D] Those two turns don't result in the destruction of entire panzergruppes…..

[Sammy5IsAlive]

I don't disagree with the above, but lets give credit where credit is due - he is still playing in a situation where many (if not most) players would have quit a while ago. The blizzard offensive looks like it has been good fun for the Soviets, but that's only been possible because Teun has been a good sport and stuck with it.

Hopefully as harsh as the lessons have been he has learnt from them and will do better if/when he plays his next game. That's not just in terms of 'on-map' play but in terms of general game options - +1 attack/full blizzard/no house rule for para-drops is a pretty unforgiving setup for any Axis player, let alone for one who is inexperienced (that is no criticism of you btw Seminole - you are fully entitled to play the setup that is in front of you).

[Seminole]

I too would like to credit Teun557 for sticking it out.
I've accepted the return game and we'll be trying this the other way around shortly.
I'll wrap the AAR on turn 33 when I can get some time.

[xhoel]

I think Teun557 needs to take a good hard look at the game using this AAR to see where his mistakes were and reflect on what can be done to improve his game. I think one of the key things that you should practice more and understand better is the way pockets work and also learn unit move costs and ZOC moves. The encirclements have been very badly done in this game and there is a lot of room for improvement. The German success in the east relies on creating pockets and destroying Soviet formations.

With that being said, you can learn from your mistakes and come out stronger in the end. Don't be discouraged by your defeat or by other player criticism.

@Seminole: You have played a great game as the Soviets. Really well conducted Blizzard offensive. Congrats on all the victories achieved. In your next game I would suggest you to implement some house rules on para drops as the game does not model such operations properly.

Cheers!