Encircled by Enemies (PBEM gwgardner vs Chocolino)

[Chocolino]

7-4-41

The British fall back to a new defensive line close to where the ancient wall used to be. My opponent does a fantastic job keeping me occupied with armored forces in England for as long as possible.

[Chocolino]

7-4-41

Minsk falls this week. AGS in the Ukraine received a new armored corps. But watch out for the little infantry unit in the Marches (circle). He will create all kinds of trouble in the near future. When I did this turn I wasn't realizing just how far he can move off road through the swamp..... Because of our two-front war Germany clearly lacks manpower for sufficient rear area security right now.

[Chocolino]

7-18-41

My opponent surprised me with what I call the Pripyat Raiders. This USSR infantry converted from regular to partisan and overrun 2 German airfields in rear areas before running out of moves. Now I am spooked and will have to clear the Marches after all if at all possible.

[Chocolino]

7-18-41

The USSR also unleashed raiders on Finland who swarm the countryside and penetrate the vast borders that we cannot really control with the few forces at hand. The Finnish corps detach Divisions to get more ZOC in place.

[Chocolino]

7-18-41

In England the Germans pierced one more defensive British line - probably causing another British retreat to a new line - and Scotland extends for quite a bit further north. Who knows how long the British can play this game.

[John B.]

You would probably have the four infantry in France as a garrison but the four motorized corps missing from the east can't be helping matters. Has the RN gone to a watery grave?

[tyronec]

My opponent surprised me with what I call the Pripyat Raiders. This USSR infantry converted from regular to partisan and overrun 2 German airfields in rear areas before running out of moves. Now I am spooked and will have to clear the Marches after all if at all possible.

Try splitting all your allied corps down to divisions and having them cover your rear. Better one German division in the front line than a Romanian Corps.
You need at least some of that to protect the railways too.

[Chocolino]

ORIGINAL: John B.

You would probably have the four infantry in France as a garrison but the four motorized corps missing from the east can't be helping matters. Has the RN gone to a watery grave?

I could have certainly used those units. A few times I have opened a (small) gap in the Russian front only to leave it like this and see the Russian close it again since I had no units to follow up and beak through.

Some are sunk - especially 3 CVs. But the RN is still around. Even above you see some units sitting in Glasgow. But there are more in the Med and in other harbors. Not sure what is left since I don't know if the UK has built anything new earlier.

[Chocolino]

ORIGINAL: tyronec

My opponent surprised me with what I call the Pripyat Raiders. This USSR infantry converted from regular to partisan and overrun 2 German airfields in rear areas before running out of moves. Now I am spooked and will have to clear the Marches after all if at all possible.

Try splitting all your allied corps down to divisions and having them cover your rear. Better one German division in the front line than a Romanian Corps.
You need at least some of that to protect the railways too.

Good advice I am sure. But many of the Allied units have to man the front lines since I am shorthanded in the East. The Hungarians have acquitted themselves actually fairly well against the early Russian units. But that will of course change. I hope that I can pull the Axis Allies out of the line by/before winter.

[Chocolino]

8-1-41

Just following the retreating Allies up North to the new Tweed line and not enough action points left to mount an offensive.

[Chocolino]

8-1-41

Still trying to contain the Pripyat Raiders. Like true partisans they are hard to get into a fight - retreating after each attack with little damage. If I were not on the receiving end of it I would actually enjoy how realistic this is with Russians creating havoc behind the lines.

AGC takes Mogilev (in the NE of this pic) is the good news.

[gwgardner]

Offering friendly advice, you should pull your armor out of the UK completely and continue the crawl northward using infantry. The RN is alive and well, but running on only enough fumes to keep the engines from freezing up.

[Chocolino]

8-1-41

I have not shown the south much since there is not much going on (besides raiders). The Axis 3 Allies with a singe German corps as backup have retaken Bessarabia.

The Russian front has depth - two layers thick. Very hard to make progress. But at least German attacks cause a good number of Russian casualties. However, I have noticed that by now fewer Russian corps shatter and that they have somewhat stiffened already - a bad omen of what is to come.

[Chocolino]

ORIGINAL: gwgardner

Offering friendly advice, you should pull your armor out of the UK completely and continue the crawl northward using infantry. The RN is alive and well, but running on only enough fumes to keep the engines from freezing up.

Didn't see this post yesterday - not ignoring you.

Advice is of course correct. But you may not have noticed that half the German armor actually did already depart England. But it is now late in the season and I am not sure the rest will make any difference before campaigning season ends and winter sets in. It takes 2 months of transfer (4 turns) until they can join action in the East (move to port - ship - rail to east - drive to front.)

I am also not sure if I could have finished off the UK in '41 without heavy weapons - now I am confident of it. Once the US joins at the end of the year it gets even dangerous to leave Scottish ports freely accessible.

But you advice rattles me in a different way - I must be doing really poorly if my opponent offers friendly advice.......

[Flaviusx]

My own view is that Russia should've been ignored until 1942 and the kitchen sink should've been thrown at the UK. It is starting to bog down a little over there.

An all out effort could more rapidly clear out the British shopkeepers, and you could also have some fun in the Med.

And then build out the Wehrmacht for a powerful 42 Barbarossa. It is by no means clear to me that delaying it by a year necessarily works out great for the Soviets.

A weak Barbarossa in 41 may end up helping the Sovs more than a delay into 42 does.

[Chocolino]

ORIGINAL: Flaviusx

My own view is that Russia should've been ignored until 1942 and the kitchen sink should've been thrown at the UK. It is starting to bog down a little over there.

That was more or less the kitchen sink. There is only a limited front line in the UK - so more units don't really help. I was also very concerned about a counter amphibious landing at the beginning which takes my main supply port. Gary may laugh at this and say "with what" but from my side of thetable it was an option that the UK may have. Then the creme of the German armored force would have been trapped in England without supply. So 4 armored corps was the most I wanted to commit.

And then build out the Wehrmacht for a powerful 42 Barbarossa. It is by no means clear to me that delaying it by a year necessarily works out great for the Soviets.

A weak Barbarossa in 41 may end up helping the Sovs more than a delay into 42 does.

I am sure you are more experienced with the game than I am. Hard for me to judge during a first PBEM game. But I have heard that the USSR gets boosts to the economy no matter what - perhaps not as strong as if attacked. They already got a boost earlier "because the Western Allies couldn't contains the Axis".

We will see how I get over the winter.

[Chocolino]

8-15-40

We are closing in on Glasgow, the last VP objective in the UK (there are others in the Commonwealth of course). British cohesion is faltering now a bit. Several weaker units appear. Only the mech. guarding the approaches to Glasgow and the Infantry corps at the east coast are strong.

[Chocolino]

8-15-41

Near Mogilev we try to exploit a weak spot in the Russian lines and reach the Dnieper. These tanks have been lent to AGC by AGN.

[Chocolino]

8-15-41

In the Ukraine we try a diversionary attack that also opens up a small gap in the Russian front. But in this area we have no mobile units to follow through. So the USSR will be able to rectify it easily. The Axis Allies again are pulling their weight here.

BTW - all Pripyat Raiders are now in German captivity.

[Flaviusx]

They do get a boost, but what they don´t get is experience, the ability to build infantry armies, or the reserves. So what you end up facing in 42 is just a larger version of what you see now.