War In The East II: Self Vs Self For Two Smart Generals

[ReginaldBednar2]

End of Russian Turn 5: July 20, 1941
Tallin/Navin funnel line unchanged. Two lines near Pskov: one on each side of river. There is an urgent need for another Front Unit and am forced to use Stavka.
A lot of units around The Land Bridge but many are rebuilding. Panzers are near Moglilev and across river at 206,155; they need rest and are weakly opposed around the bridgehead!
In south, there are the Domanovichi-Kalinkovichi-Yelsk, Yablonets River, and S. Sluch River Lines, and then to Odessa area.

SITUATION SEEMS TO BE FAIRLY HISTORICAL IN TAKING TERRITORY WITH SOME ENCIRCLEMENTS DUE TO PANZERS CUTTING OFF RETREAT ROUTES. THESE OF COURSE GET HARDER WITH INCREASING PANZER FATIGUE (REDUCED MOVEMENT AND COMBAT CAPABILITY).

[ReginaldBednar2]

End of German Turn 6: July 27, 1941
FATIGUE IS MORE IMPORTANT IN GENERAL THAN SUPPLIES! ONLY SOLUTION IS DON'T GO DOWN TO AN HANDFULL OF MOVEMENT POINTS; SLOW ADVANCE DOWN.

Finally reached Tallinn/Narva River funnel. Two Russian divisions surrounded east of Pskov; panzers clear west bank. East bank is fairly heavily defended. Put two divisions next to hex just north of Lake Pskov!
Approaching The Land Bridge from east and north, with slow going due to terrain. Railroad clearing for supplies to this area! One division isolated. Dnepr crossed in force in two places: one just south of Mogilev with two divisions and one 6 hexes south with nine divisions. There are many shattered Russian division in the central sector.
Crack Russian tank division surrounded near Zhmerinka. Four hexes cleared near Dubossary of Odessa Line by concentration of Rumanians divisions (but only one German division is actually across river).

ACTUAL HISTORICAL PROGRESS AROUND THIS DATE
1 July --- Riga falls
2 July --- Breakthrough near Ostrov on east bank of Dvina River
5 July --- Breakthrough in Stalin Line near Lvov by 6th Army; panzers pour
through gap heading for Zhitomir on road to Kiev.
6 July --- Reached outskirts of Vitebsk! Reached Tartu and Parnu in north.
9 July --- Bialystok pocket fully eliminated
10 July --- Russian violent tank attack in southern sector near Korosten
11 July --- Wehrmacht within 10 miles of Kiev but panzers can't advance
13 July --- Pskov line falls and advance towards Luga begins
14 July --- Reached Luga River!
15 July to 18 July --- Battles around Lake Ilmen area! Neva Line holds.
16 July --- Clearing Dnieper River area; huge Uman pocket
17 July --- Bridgehead across Dniepr near Mogilev; fighting continues around
Vitebsk
19 July --- After Battle of Smolensk, orders are to turn south to take Kiev!
21 July --- Dniepr River Line withdrawal ordered for Russians
23 July --- Brest-Litovsk FALLS!
27 July --- Tallinn falls; Smolensk pocket closed after GREAT RUSSIAN
COUNTER-ATTACK
31 July --- Wehrmacht reaches Lakes Ilmen and Peipus

[ReginaldBednar2]

End of Russian Turn 6: July 27, 1941
Tallinn defended; rest withdrawn to Narva River funnel. Withdrawal to Pskov Line.
Defending The Land Bridge four hexes west of Vitebsk. Mogilev held but in general complete retreat from Dnepr River Line.
Line five hexes west of Kiev; complete abandonment of Odessa Line. Zhitomir was abandoned.

[ReginaldBednar2]

End of German Turn 7: August 3, 1941
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TURN SO FAR!

Reached Tallinn and clearing Saaremaa Island. Two divisions across Pskov Line, which proved a tough line indeed. Wehrmacht infantry divisions closing up to line.

Five hexes from Vitebsk. All Dnepr cleared south of Mogilev. Russian line smashed around Propoisk. Fortifications taken in Pripyat Marshes.

Southern front smashed and now five hexes from Kiev. Another crack Russian infantry unit isolated. Two hexes from Odessa. DISCOVERED PARTISANS CUT 1 LINE FAR IN REAR!

[ReginaldBednar2]

Lessons Learned the Hard Way

1. German railroad repair units that are attachments must be manually put
into Armies.

2. Make sure select AI depot option every turn.

3. Need more railroad repair attachments but can't create new ones; will
have to re-allocate based on need.

4. Must keep moving Luftwaffe bases towards front; by default, they just
stay where they were initially placed.

[ReginaldBednar2]

End of Russian Turn 7: August 3, 1941
Heavily fortifying Narva River Line. Reserve Front units out to be sent south defend down to last little section of Dvina Rivers, near Polotsk.
Line set around one hex west of Vitebsk in The Land Bridge. Mobile units have left Pripyat Marshes due to Battle of Kiev.
Brusilov-Fastov-Novoarkhangelsk-Kikolaev Line, with Odessa an isolated port fortress. In essence, Southwestern Front was gutted.

[ReginaldBednar2]

End of German Turn 8: August 10, 1941
Odessa, Kiev, Pskov, and Tallinn are on verge of being taken (40 victory points).

Tallinn besieged; Narva River Pocket sealed up. Pskov line has been breached but Pskov still stands; concentrated panzers on assault attacks.

9th Army now in line! Major assault by 3rd Panzer Group into The Land Bridge; adjacent to Vitebsk. Dvina Rivers defense no longer useful. 2nd Panzer Group panzers smashed Russian units past Mogilev and will try to link up with 3rd Panzer Group toward Moscow. There is clear terrain all the way to Smolensk!

Panzers three hexes from Kiev; three Russian divisions isolated nearby. Expect Russians Army will retreat to Yuzhny Bug River Line. PARTISANS CUT RAIL LINES NEAR Rava-Russkaya. Had to move 6th Army HQ there with two attached RR units to repair. EVERY FRONT NEEDS TO HAVE ONE RR UNIT ATTACHED IF POSSIBLE. Am concentrating all Rumanian units and Hungarian units in vicinity of Odessa, while Wehrmacht units drive toward the eastern Ukraine.

[ReginaldBednar2]

End of Russian Turn 8: August 10, 1941
Narva Rive Line and one just next to it now all that is left; Tallinn assault to begin soon. Pskov Line smashed but city wasn't assaulted nor abandoned.
Line now near Velikie Luki-Vitesbsk-Kiev.
Southern sector real thin with strongest forces defending Kiev and its suburbs. Line ends at Nikolaev.

[ReginaldBednar2]

End of German Turn 9: August 17, 1941
Tallinn falls after Luftwaffe ground attack; Saaremaa Island taken. Across Pskov line in force but panzer weak and Pskov not even attacked.
Vitebsk falls; 2nd Panzer Group attack toward Smolensk with good supply for both. Almost out of Pripyat Marshes!
Will assault Kiev suburbs next turn. Major partisan activity in south totally disrupts Kiev attack supply lines. PROBLEM IS NOT LACK OF POSSIBLE GARRISON TROOPS; PROBLEM IS CAN'T SEND THEM TO RUSSIAN GARRISON THEATER! ALSO, POOR AI IN THAT AREA FOR RR REPAIR OF VITAL MAIN ARTERY DAMAGE. At Yuziny Bug Line; Odessa isolated and bombed by Luftwaffe.

[ReginaldBednar2]

End of Russian Turn 9: August 17, 1941
Withdrawal to Narv Line, strongly defended. Starting to build fortified regions around Leningrad. Big fight expected for Pskov.

Smolensk-Krichev-Krasnaya Gora-Kiev Line.

One army primarily responsible for Kiev defense. Withdrawing behind Dnepr River/Bug Rivers.

ONE BIG DIFFERENCE WITH W.I.E. II is moving industry; now only certain industries may be relocated, and RR is tied up for many turns loaded with the factory equipment! This means even with the slow advance a lot of Russian industry will be lost (armaments and heavy industry).

ANOTHER BIG DIFFERENCE WITH W.I.E. II is the general lack of new Russian divisions; APs now must be primarily used to generate replacement divisions. There are numerous divisions in the theater boxes, but they are frozen!

[ReginaldBednar2]

SUPPLY PROBLEM INSIGHTS
Freight represents generic storage of logistical deliveries in tons, and will be delivered to units or supply depots off rail if within 30 hexes/75 movement points from the closest available railroad line. This results in one ton of freight being converted into one ton of needed food, water, maintenance, ammo, and fuel tons for units or off railroad depots. Two aspects are modeled: actual railroad locomotives and freight cars, as well as their repair facilities. Each railyard point represents 200 tons of equivalent freight capability, which means a delivery capability. THUS, IT IS VITAL TO HAVE NEARBY CONSTRUCTION UNITS TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE TO RAILYARDS. ALSO, RAILYARDS WITH A CAPACITY OF 1 DO NOT PASS ON FREIGHT, BUT REPRESENT COAL/WATER REPLENTISHMENT FOR THE FREIGHT TRAINS. Anything using railroad transportation (transporting military units, relocating factories, etc.) uses capacity just like for military logistics.

QUESTION: Does anyone know what supply loss means on the logistics summary screen? When it is a high percentage compared to requirements, it means the railroad logistics system has broken down in the sector.

[ReginaldBednar2]

End of German Turn 10: August 24, 1941
Units have to rest everywhere and re-fit in rear areas (1 hex from front lines).

Rail line repaired almost to Narva River! Attacked to capture Pskov next turn.

Six hexes from Smolensk.

Kiev and Odessa fell! Rumanians took Odessa but severed tremendous increase in fatigue and will have to rest. Brought 11th Army RR repair unit westward to link up with partisan tears in RR lines. Hex 208, 200 needs to be RR repaired to restore supply to southern sector except near Odessa quadrant.

HISTORICAL PROGRESS
July 31: Lakes Ilmen and Peipus Lines breached
August 2: Staraya Russa taken on road to Leningrad
August 3: 1st Panzergroup meets 17th Army after destroying big pockets.
August 5: Smolensk pocket falls, but Russians had a furious stalling
counteroffensive in summer conditions that cost the Wehrmacht an
entire month
August 6: Gulf of Finland border secured
August 9: Wehrmacht attacks southern Bug River Line
August 12: Army Group Center panzers are formally ordered south to take
Kiev from its eastern side.
August 17: Novgorod captured on road to Leningrad
August 17: Odessa is surrounded; Dniepropetrovsk falls.
August 18: Nikolayev abandoned
August 21: Main rail line from Leningrad cut at Chudovo
August 21: Battle of Kiev formulary begins
August 23: Front line approaches Gomel and Starodub
August 28: Estonia completely taken
August 30: Last rail line from Leningrad at Mga taken
August 30: Fierce Battle of Kiev still in progress