Defending Greater Germania 1942 - Includes combined WitW and WitE2 AARs

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North Africa
Situation Report May 11th 1943 Turn 27
Southern Tunisia

With the imminent arrival of 8th Army in Southern Tunisia, General Anderson orders 1st Army to go on the offensive, heavy fighting erupts at Tbessa with several Axis counter attacks resulting in FF units being severely mauled by units from The Afrika Korps and Weber Korps.

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North Africa
Situation Report May 11th 1943 Turn 27
Northern Tunisia

With fighting opening up across the whole front line the most bitter takes place in the North with The Allies concentrating there Amour on the coastal town of La calle in an effort to break through, here The British IX and V Corps attacks on two fronts against The Ital XXX Corps, the attack fails.

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Multiple attacks takes place by The US II and XIX FF Corps and these attacks are held up with heavy losses to the attackers.

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Air losses on both sides are high.

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Eastern Front
Situation Report May 13th 1943 Turn 26
AG North

Realising there troops in the Nebolchi sector are threatened with encirclement The Soviets begin to pull back there Armour, combined with a flanking movement by two Soviet Inf Corps on the right flank against Kempf's Army Inf that was trying to push behind the enemies armoured forces, the threat by the two enemy Inf units forces a temporary pull back of our own forces.

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In the Kalinin area 16th and 9th Armee's finally destroy the encircled troops there and allow the assaulting troops a chance to rest and replenish there supplies.

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Eastern Front
Situation Report May 13th 1943 Turn 26
AG Centre

Not much activity on the Moscow Front apart from 3rd Pz Armee destroying the trapped forces in the rear at Shakovskaya, the enemy seems to be concentrating its efforts in fortifying the defence line in front of the Soviet capital.
Intelligence reports identify the enemy forces opposing us consist of 6 Armies ( 1st Shock, 8th, 29th, 50th, 61st and 11th Guards ) from two Fronts, and Kalinin and Northwestern.

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South of Moscow at Orel 2nd Pz Armee supported by 2nd Armee launch a pincer attack, 5 Soviet units are encircled ( 33rd, 50th, 67th, 143rd Inf Corps and 40th Rifle Brigade ) by the lightening movement lead by 1 SS Pz Korps.
The Soviets taken completely by surprise now face the prospect of more of there forces being cut off and destroyed from the large salient that has formed on the western side of the Oka River.

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Eastern Front
Situation Report May 13th 1943 Turn 26
AG South

Here in the Southern sector of the Eastern Front the enemy has massed its biggest concentration of forces,16 Armies including 4 Guards Army's in an effort to destroy the Axis forces defending the Kharkov and Rostov regions and cut off Army Group A in the Caucasus.

The Soviet attack focuses on three strategic objectives, first cutting the vital Gorlovka / Kupyansk rail line at Svatovo and Borovaya, there second objective a mass attack at Krasnodon, punching through to Lutugino and Radokovo and encircling the Strategic city of Voroshilovgrad, there third attack aimed at the XXXXVIII Pz Korps.

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The Soviets break through to Svatovo but a German / Hungarian counterattack cuts off a Tank Corps and forces the enemy back.



At Krasnodon the enemy punches through Axis lines with an Infantry assault brushing aside the weakened Romanian units and forcing back elements of the German 62nd Inf DIV , The Soviet South and Southwestern Fronts concentrate elements of 9 Soviet Armies including 3 Guards, for the assault in this sector alone, a counterattack by the German 62nd briefly forces the enemy back but the enemy launches an even fiercer armoured attack, the 62nd is driven back to Sverdlovsk ( s).

The Soviet Infantry attack and German Defence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MqqOW9 ... WL&index=2

The second Soviet Attack with armour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bqk1Bjk ... WL&index=1


A third Red Army attack is launched against Shakhty aimed at tying down German Armour , the Soviet 40th Army ( 2 Tank Corps supported by 5 Inf units ) pushes through and cuts the main rail line.

While the battles rages further North 17th Armee make some gains in the Manych region trapping 2 enemy units, Soviet troop numbers in this area are smaller allowing Axis troops to move into the rear of the enemy.

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Eastern Front
Situation Report May 13th 1943 Turn 26
Army Group A

As 1st Pz Armee advances towards Grozny the Soviets throw even more reserves into the battle to reinforce the battered remains of 39th and 46th Army's, however the Soviet forces seem to be in disarray and Gen Mackensen's Pz units quickly overwhelm them and another disaster appears likely.

III Pz Korps traps a Mech Corps while XXXX Pz Korps encircles 3 units including a Tank Corps , 1st Pz Armee is now only 80 miles from Grozny.

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On the Black Sea front 17th Armee continues to advance as Soviet resistance crumbles and they fall back demoralized to Kutaisi and Khashuri.

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Field Marshal Von Kleist visits III Pz Korps HQ at Mineralnye Vody on the Kuma river and views the battle first hand.

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Eastern Front
Situation Report May 13th 1943 Turn 26
Stats Report

While we sustain significant losses both in the air and the ground including a large number of AFV's, soviet losses are huge this week.

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Overall though the enemy OOB still remains high.

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Eastern Front
Situation Report May 13th 1943 Turn 26
Stats report

Our truck situation remains under 100 thousand and we continue to gain disaffected supporters to our cause as our POW figures climb.

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Supply remains good so far.

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[EwaldvonKleist]

High Priority Communication from OHL Command

Using Enigma machine with special TRITON KEY
...

FM Gerd von Rundstedt Chief Of Staff OHL

Message ends

New chest armor in the form of decorations is always appreciated! Using good encryption is always a good idea-do you know the uneasy feeling that someone might be listening?

The army group and their commander will continue to work with highest effort on securing the oil fields in the Caucasus! The upcoming summer will create chances for deep Panzer raids. The Soviet counterattack at Stalingrad clearly was an act of desperation by the Soviet high command, which won't be able to replace the losses we are going to inflict over the summer.

Regards
EvK

[CanisVasily]

Very interesting idea to combine two games in one. But how would you deal with the difference? I mean there may be situations that 1 division or air group fighting in two warzones. And wish you good luck in Stalingrad and Eygpt.

[EwaldvonKleist]

Very interesting idea to combine two games in one. But how would you deal with the difference? I mean there may be situations that 1 division or air group fighting in two warzones. And wish you good luck in Stalingrad and Eygpt.

You can't really. The only way I see is by editing in extra units as a buffer, and use them if you "transfer" in from the other fronts, where you then have to park a unit of equal class and strength idly as "compensation".

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Very interesting idea to combine two games in one. But how would you deal with the difference? I mean there may be situations that 1 division or air group fighting in two warzones. And wish you good luck in Stalingrad and Eygpt.

EVK is right its just not viable,but I'm just playing the games and linking them through " Narration " the community just has to allow for there imagination to believe it is and hopefully get some enjoyment in the process.
I never planned this ARR to be like this and get so big, I just had in mind playing both games of the same time period as a modest crossover, but it now seems to have a life of its own and I'm just along for the ride

[CanisVasily]

Very interesting idea to combine two games in one. But how would you deal with the difference? I mean there may be situations that 1 division or air group fighting in two warzones. And wish you good luck in Stalingrad and Eygpt.

You can't really. The only way I see is by editing in extra units as a buffer, and use them if you "transfer" in from the other fronts, where you then have to park a unit of equal class and strength idly as "compensation".

Yeah that's a solution but not a perfect one. Really hoping for such a wargame to combine WITW and WITE into War in the Europe - Fasinating!

[CanisVasily]

Very interesting idea to combine two games in one. But how would you deal with the difference? I mean there may be situations that 1 division or air group fighting in two warzones. And wish you good luck in Stalingrad and Eygpt.

EVK is right its just not viable,but I'm just playing the games and linking them through " Narration " the community just has to allow for there imagination to believe it is and hopefully get some enjoyment in the process.
I never planned this ARR to be like this and get so big, I just had in mind playing both games of the same time period as a modest crossover, but it now seems to have a life of its own and I'm just along for the ride

Oh I think your work here is really an amazing one and it may become more interesting that it becomes a ALLIES vs AXIS vs SOVIET with many commanders. You may even have diplomacy with other faction.

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North Africa
Situation Report May 18th 1943 Turn 28

The Mareth Line
Operation Pugilist


Montgomery attacks, The British XXX Corps begins its assault against our well dug in forces, There first attack aimed at dislodging units of the Ital XXI Corps, 25th Bologna Inf Div holds firm.

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While the battle at Mareth begins the first of the evacuation convoys arrive at Tunisia.

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North Africa
Situation Report May 18th 1943 Turn 28
Southern Tunisia

Apart from a probe attack by French French troops which results in a counterattack routing the FF this sector of the line is quiet. The enemy is focusing its main forces in the North.

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North Africa
Situation Report May 18th 1943 Turn 28
Northern Tunisia

Here The British 1st Army has concentrated almost all of its armour in a bid to break through and split The Axis forces in two. Gen Weber's Korps is repeatedly attacked by 3 Allied Corps ( US II , FF XIX and the Brit V ) North of Weber's Korps , DAK and 5th Pz Armee units also come under heavy assault.

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Despite the massive effort by the enemy the Axis line holds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikx8UL- ... WL&index=3

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North Africa
Situation Report May 18th 1943 Turn 28
Stats Report

This week the fighting has increased and casualties for both sides high.

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Again with the shortening of the lines supplies have much improved on the whole for my forces in Tunisia.

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Eastern Front
Situation Report May 20th 1943 Turn 27
AG North

While 18th Armee front line remains relatively static Field Marshal Kuechler ( Army Group North Commander ) orders a General offensive to support Army Group Centre, Kempf's Armee units advance towards Kabozha, once again Soviet armour ( 51st Army ) is threatened with encirclement.

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In the Valdia Hills region Kempf's forces supported by units from 9th Armee attack the 20th and 31st Army's, punching through weak enemy Inf defences German troops manage to encircle two Red Army Units.

At Torzhok armoured forces of 9th Armee smash through the Soviet 8th and 29th Army's lines and trap a number of enemy units defending Kalinin, from here 9th Armee can turn South and start to move against Moscow.

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Eastern Front
Situation Report May 20th 1943 Turn 27
AG Centre

At his OKH HQ's at Minsk Von Mainstein confers with his staff about the current crises in the South,the Soviet drives could possibly threaten Von Kleist's drive to Grozny, the strategic situation has shifted back in Germany's favour and it must be maintained.
Manstein makes the decision that could be decisive in the war on the Eastern Front,issuing a directive to Field Marshal Von Kluge ( Army Group Centre ) to bring forward the German summer offensive by 2 weeks.

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Operation Zitadelle
The plan a three pronged offensive aimed at capturing Moscow, Tula and Voronezh.




The offensive begins with 9th Armee in the North launching an assault on the city of Kalinin trapping parts of The Kalinin Front ( Purkaev ) in a pincer movement from there it can turn and strike South towards Moscow.

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At Orel where 2nd Pz Armee launched a limited assault against enemy forces defending the Oka River line, the Armee now launches an all out offensive, here the trapped forces from the previous weeks push are all but destroyed,this forces the rest of enemy forces west of the river to try to withdraw, at the same time 10th Guards Army, 49th Army and 4th Shock Army launch there own counterattack which fails resulting in 13th Guards Tank Corps, 29th Artillery and 2nd Breakthrough Artillery Divs trapped. With Soviet troops pulling back from the west bank of the Oka River and taking advantage of the ensuing enemy chaos 3rd Pz Armee and 4th Armee begin to move forward with 4th Armee capturing Kaluga.

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FM Von Kluge orders the offensive to begin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YWLV4c ... L&index=16


At Kursk 2nd Armee begins its own offensive towards Voronezh,as the Armee pushes forward, 3 Soviet Armies move to block the advance,1st Guards, 2nd Tank and 11 Army's launch a counterattack to stop 2nd Armee's drive, Gen Von Salmuth 2nd Armee Commander orders a huge artillery barrage to blunt the Soviet counterattack, then orders his Pz forces forward followed by infantry attacks. All 3 enemy Armies are forced back with heavy losses

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