Battle of the titans

[DavidFaust]

spare

[K62]

7/20/1941
Two heavy blows this week. First, the fascist invaders have forced a Dnepr crossing in the Mogilev area inflicting heavy casualties on some of our best units. Second, Comrade Stalin in his infinite wisdom has decided to disband the Soviet mechanized corps. As a result, we are already seeing the panzer divisions advance much more aggressively without fear of being cut off.

In the north and south strong enemy forces appear poised to assault Pskov and Kiev soon.

On the positive side, the Finnish front still holds.

[DavidFaust]

7/21/41 Clear

Losses
Axis/USSR
714/2052 Squads
501/1215 Armor
45/949 Arty
65/291 A/C

AGN objective this week was to encircle the city of Pskov and to rest and refit a Pz korps to the very north. A undetected shock army east of Pskov ambushed the lead panzer korps halting its attack.


AGC objective this week was the capture of Smolensk and the encirclement of a shock army and a Korp. Guderian reinforced both lead panzer korps with 2 panzer divisions each and with such overwhelming forces the objectives were achieved.


AGS objective this week was to cut off Kiev but failed to cross the river.

[K62]

7/27/1941
In a lightning strike the German forces capture Smolensk and shatter several strong Soviet formations in the process. The battle of Smolensk has begun. Stavka orders all reserves into a general counterattack to weaken the exposed PzKorps. The attacks proceed in a disjointed manner with heavy casualties on both sides. One spot in the Panzer corridor that is only defended by infantry yields and we succeed in isolating 4 PzKorps in the Smolensk area. They are expected to free themselves next week but the delay will allow us to reinforce the road to Moscow.

In the north the Leningrad Front abandons Pskov and the Saimaa Canal line to shorten its front line. Most of the troops previously facing the Finns will be deployed to defend the swamps west of Novgorod against the Germans instead. Intelligence reports have indicated that the Finns do not intend to attack Leningrad.

In the south the defense of the Dnepr in the Kiev area is reinforced.

Losses this turn
Axis: 547/42/271/18
Soviet: 415/106/27/481

[DavidFaust]

3/8/41 Clear

Losses
Axis/USSR
557/2222
138/700
37/905
348/2941

The Soviets have committed there air force to the battle of Smolensk with devastating results. Battle reports show that massive amounts of bombers have supported Soviets ground attacks inflicting massive damage on the Germans but they lacked fighter escorts. German intel reports suspected that 3 HQ's in the Smolensk area were reinforced with bombers and a HQ near Moscow providing air cover for the bomber HQ's. German air recon confirmed this. Bomber formations supported by long range fighter bombers engaged the Soviets in the air and then bombed all 4 airfields.

AGN advanced to the Soviets new line of defence but has not engaged the enemy.
AGC has restored supply to the cut off Pz korps while the infantry korps move towards the front. A shock army was cut off and surrendered.
AGS has captured a weakly defended Kiev and the bulk of her slow moving infantry korps advance east.

[K62]

8/3/1941
The Soviet air force has been wiped out a second time in the battle of Smolensk but it has played a crucial role in slowing down the advance on Moscow. It flies back to Siberia to reorganize, hopefully in time to make another showing this year.

Otherwise a pretty quiet week on the Soviet side. Kiev, Vitebsk and Velikie Luki are abandoned as we have no hope of holding them much longer. The pressure is maintained on the narrow corridor leading to Smolensk but further attacks are postponed in the absence of air support. The Vyazma area is reinforced. Stavka leaves the capital to avoid interfering with the defensive works.

[DavidFaust]

10/8/41 clear

Very little action on the eastern front.

Hitler has forbidden to discuss the unexpected events that have occurred this week and has set up a command post to anilaise and counter such events in the future.

[K62]

8/10/41
An eerie calm descends over the Eastern Front as Soviet preparations for the defense of Moscow continue. Surprisingly front line intelligence reports no German supply columns have reached Smolensk this week. As puzzled intelligence officers examine this information it appears a partisan attack has occurred NE of Minsk severing the northern Minsk-Mogilev railway. However the southern Minsk-Mogilev line appears intact as well as the one from Zhitomir. Stavka is not quite sure what to make of this information. A division is sent through an apparent gap in the frontline to investigate the intact railway and potentially cut it. However it is ambushed by an unseen German korps and its chances of further survival seem faint.

Only minor adjustments in the front line and redeployment of reserves to report otherwise.

[DavidFaust]

17/8/41 Clear.

It has been confirmed....

Last week partisan activity has cut the supply lines to AGC.

This event has halted the german offensive and Im unsure if it can regain the momentum that is needed. This turn has shown that the ground gained and the enemy units destroyed was not worth the tanks lost.

[K62]

8/17/1941
The Germans have breached the Dnepr line in the Kiev and Dnepropetrovsk areas. Faced with the prospect of encirclement Stavka orders a strategic withdrawal. We're still holding small sections of the Dnepr in the Gomel and Poltava areas. We've lost some ground in the Leningrad, Rzhev and Vyazma areas but the second line held in most places without major breaches.

[DavidFaust]

Germany was not able to reform her lead Pz korps when supply was cut so the decision was made to assign reinforcements to the HQ's in order for the korps to be reinforced. The critical importance of this happening is of utmost importance and for the 2nd week in row this has not taken place. This has effectively blunted Germanys offensive in the east.

[K62]

Here's the current front line.

[DavidFaust]

For interest's sake I decided to reload last turn and just plot the main attack. I believe the results speak for themselves.

Last turn took me over 3 hours to play to ensure I get the best out of my troops. Seems like I am pissing into the wind as the reloaded turn took me 30 seconds to play and the results are much BETTER.

[K62]

8/24/41
The gap in the south has become much larger and essentially the whole southern half of the Soviet front has started a precipitate retreat. The temporary surplus of troops is railed in to help defend the Moscow and Leningrad approaches. A garrison is left behind to defend Kharkov but it may be unable to hold out for more than a week or two.

In the center and north the Germans are pushing forward relentlessly and have cleared most of the swamps that were supporting the Soviet front line. New defense lines are established in the hope they'll have time to dig in. Two divisions are sent through gaps in the German front line to harass the supply lines for the PzKorps threatening Vyazma; preliminary reports seem to indicate they were successful.

The VVS fighter force is also showing up in somewhat greater numbers this week. While we have no hope of contesting air superiority, every bomber destroyed or diverted is one less attack on our ground troops. With 9-10 weeks of good weather left in the year, the battles for Leningrad and Moscow are very much undecided and every small detail can make a big difference.

[DavidFaust]

31/8/41 Clear

All of AGN's attacks were repulsed this week with high German losses.

AGC secured there supply lines and launched probing attacks to test the Soviets defences.

AGS advances east but has made no contact with soviets. In fact AGS was not able to spot any units.

Pz korps of AGC and AGN have launched a joint operation but it looks like there efforts are in vane as no Soviet troops were cut off.

[K62]

8/31/1941
The long southern retreat continues with the Kharkov garrison being railed out and sent to defend Moscow. The last positions next to Smolensk are abandoned as shock armies are formed and reinforced on the Moscow approaches. Everyone is bracing for the upcoming assault.

[DavidFaust]

7/9/41 clear

Some minor attacks while German troops rest, refit and redeploy while they await supplies to reach the front lines.

[K62]

9/7/1941
The Germans are uncharacteristically quiet this week as several PzKorps line up west of Vyazma and Rzhev. The Luftwaffe in particular seems to be completely massed up on the Moscow front. Small reconnaissance raids reveal a PzKorps that ran out of air cover in the Rostov area and only Finnish air groups defending the AGN air space.

The VVS decides to take advantage of the Luftwaffe dispositions by massing on the extreme flanks. In the south a spoiling attack on the exposed PzKorps is supported by bombers and inflicts significant damage. In the north an elite (by Soviet standards...) bomber group had been deployed last week to defend Leningrad. Due to lack of combat it is still in good shape and it gets sent on a raid against the Finnish airfields. Further fighter and bomber forces are deployed to support multiple spoiling attacks on AGN troops that trade casualties at an almost even ratio.

Several spoiling attacks are also ordered against AGC forces but, lacking air support, they prove much less successful.

Here are the losses this week (total doesn't include Soviet aircraft lost on turn 1):

[K62]

I've stitched together an animation of the June-July turns. (Since the game is ongoing I'm trying to keep the screenshots a bit behind to avoid revealing where the Soviet lines are.)

[DavidFaust]

14/9/41 clear.
With many delays and setbacks Germany has finally completed the reformation of her Pz divisions. This reformation has created 6 strong Pz divisions that have been sent to AGC. 3 Pz divisions were deployed east of Rzhev and another 3 Pz divisions west of Vyazma. Supported by the bulk of the luftwaffe a pincer attack between the 2 cities was launched cutting off 6 armies and shattering another 3 armies.

Start of the turn