Icebreaker: GC41 K62(Axis) vs. HLYA

[K62_]

It was Stalin who helped to bring Hitler to power, and made Hitler, in Stalin's phrase, a real icebreaker for the revolution. It was Stalin who encouraged the icebreaker to move into Europe. It was Stalin who supplied the icebreaker with everything it needed for its victorious advance.

But Hitler guessed Stalin's design.

-V. Suvorov

This game uses the regular GC41 scenario with no enhanced TB.

House rules:
1. No para drops beyond 3 hexes from the front line
2. Only one temp motorized unit at any time. It must be announced to other side and can't be a rifle corps.

Both HLYA and I are playing our less experienced side and this looks like it's making for a fun (but slow) game so far. The AAR is running 3 turns behind and all are welcome.

[K62_]

In the air phase I tried a new strategy of only using bombers against Southern Air Command and the eastern half of Southwestern Air Command. I transferred as many German LBs to Romania as could fit (after moving out the Romanian air groups) and bombed airfields as far as Crimea, Z-town, Kiev. The rest of the Soviet casualties were inflicted by German fighters in the ground phase. I moved a few fighter groups to keep up with the PG4 and PG2 advance and used drop tanks when necessary to stay within range. I also eventually overran airfields on the ground where possible to destroy the damaged aircraft.

airloss.JPG (50.96 KiB) Viewed 1190 times

[K62_]

AGN takes Riga but doesn't advance further north. I'm prioritizing secure pockets over fast advance.

riga.JPG (123.08 KiB) Viewed 1189 times

[K62_]

AGN pockets south of the Dvina.

panevezys.JPG (230.06 KiB) Viewed 1188 times

[K62_]

PG3 takes Minsk.

minsk.JPG (224.15 KiB) Viewed 1185 times

[K62_]

Southern half of Minsk pocket.

bialystok.JPG (191.53 KiB) Viewed 1184 times

[K62_]

Heinrici takes Brest-Litovsk with no combat delay.

heinrici_brest_litovsk.JPG (78.98 KiB) Viewed 1182 times

[K62_]

Model takes Przemysl East (on the rail to Lvov) without combat delay.

model_przemysl.JPG (89.09 KiB) Viewed 1181 times

[K62_]

AGS is I believe the toughest area to play well on T1. After trying a variety of approaches here I've ended up taking a lot of inspiration from Tyronec's excellent guide but adding a twist to it. The twist is to set up for a "poor man's greater Lvov pocket" on T2 made up of two halves:

- The northern half is set up by a ZOC lock south of Rovno. This should trap significantly more divisions than can be directly encircled on T1.

- The southern half is made up of units that can't rail evac from the area south of Lvov. I try to rout as many divisions as possible into this area as routed units have no SMPs and can't use rail transport. These units will be pocketed by contact with the Romanians on T2.

lvov.JPG (193.05 KiB) Viewed 1180 times

[K62_]

The game was started with the "leader deaths" patch so there were a lot of Soviet leader deaths on T1 including Tolbukhin and Bobkin. This was not intentional on my part but it's hard to avoid displacing Soviet HQs on T1. I believe the Soviets will suffer somewhat from losing two of the highest initiative leaders available to them.

leader_deaths.JPG (124.45 KiB) Viewed 1179 times

[K62_]

T1 ground losses.

groundloss.JPG (35.11 KiB) Viewed 1178 times

[tm1]

The game was started with the "leader deaths" patch so there were a lot of Soviet leader deaths on T1 including Tolbukhin and Bobkin. This was not intentional on my part but it's hard to avoid displacing Soviet HQs on T1. I believe the Soviets will suffer somewhat from losing two of the highest initiative leaders available to them.
leader_deaths.JPG

Some big losses in leadership all round.

You took Brest off the bat, I know many players do and while I only play the AI, the city is fortified somewhat, I usually wait till its isolated, then crush the defenders.

cheers

[EwaldvonKleist]

Your T1 looks wrll planned and precisely executed. Looking forward to your AAR, please keep it updated&detailed!

[K62_]

Your T1 looks wrll planned and precisely executed. Looking forward to your AAR, please keep it updated&detailed!

Thank you! I do intend to proceed with the AAR, however my worthy opponent and myself are both a bit slow to play and I'm also running the AAR 3 turns behind. We're currently on turn 5 and I'll post T2 shortly!

[K62_]

Army Group North clears all pockets and advances on a broad front towards Parnu and Pskov. Idritsa and Velikie Luki are found undefended so I'm committing some forces in this direction.

AGN.JPG (172.08 KiB) Viewed 987 times

[K62_]

AGC also clears all pockets without issue. PG3 finds Vitebsk and Mogilev undefended and advances on a broad front to the Dnepr and the Land Bridge entrance. The Soviets are defending one hex behind the Dnepr to take advantage of the "cross major river into enemy ZOC" movement penalty. I had enough MPs to cross, but it seemed unwise to leave the units exposed to counter-attack on the far side.

AGC1.JPG (106.44 KiB) Viewed 986 times

[K62_]

PG2 clears some very swampy terrain to reach the Dnepr 3 hexes short of Gomel.

AGC2.JPG (112.46 KiB) Viewed 985 times

[K62_]

AGS clears a few small pockets, takes Vinnitsa and makes contact with the Romanians to the south and with AGC to the north through the Pripyat marshes. The pockets planned last turn are closed successfully with about a dozen Soviet divisions isolated north of Tarnopol and half a dozen south of Tarnopol. It's not earth-shattering, but overall we're probably looking at around 25 divisions in the Greater Lvov area, many of them tank or mech.

AGS.JPG (195.52 KiB) Viewed 983 times

[K62_]

Army Group Antonescu springs into action with very limited mobile forces. Here I take advantage of our house rule to temporarily motorize the 76th ID. With some strong SUs attached it will serve as a substitute Panzer division and help close one of the two pockets. The Romanian cavalry and armor do the rest of the encircling. To avoid counter-attacks, 76ID preventatively mauls two strong Soviet mobile divisions with one forced to rout and the other to retreat across a major river.

AGA.JPG (154.43 KiB) Viewed 979 times

[K62_]

It should be a bit hard to organize a Soviet attack against the exposed Romanian regiments/brigades without these two divisions.

temp_moto_atk1.JPG (109.83 KiB) Viewed 978 times

temp_moto_atk2.JPG (113.36 KiB) Viewed 978 times