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The North - Turn 9

I think that my decorating of the tanks with festive "I visited Latvia!" stickers and kitschy tourist items has lulled the Soviets into a false sense of security. Their dialectic surely led them to believe we were simply bourgeoise vacationers and not an army. Certainly, our behavior of loot, pillage, and plunder reinforced this as we seemed perhaps to be English Football Fans.

Whatever the case, the breakthrough on the Volkhov was shored up. We lack enough forces here (this is why eliminating the Novgorod Pocket is vital), but the way to the Finnish Border is far easier now. Victory is just around the corner, I will be in Murmansk by January! (that is a nice warm town, right?)

SitMapNorthLocTurn9

Turn 10 Teaser Pic

Got a turn done, that is good. Shored up the Kiev Pocket, even better. Perhaps 50-60 units still there.




-edit- wrong turn!

Your turn 10 looks a bit different than mine. Can't post mine now.....

/sulk


[:'(]

Thats a very nice pocket you got there.

Wow, I count at least 59 combat units, (though a bunch of those are airborne brigades, not full divisions). Quite a haul. I am afraid this will delay your loss for a while.[:(]

Until mid 1942, at least.

Don't doubt me, I can screw this up WAY before middle 1942!

Turn 10 North

My "Tourists" of the 4th Panzer Group met obstacles in the form of toll collectors, boring historic sites, and locals whose "shortcuts" turned out to be left turns at Albuquerque. Still, the Novgorod pocket was eliminated, and the push toward Tikhvin continued. 2 of the 3 ports have fallen. It seems my opponant thought I would push harder at the western approached to Leningrad, but I was more interested in seeing my own special formula: panzers+swamps=fun!

Turn 10 Center

Hoth was quite upset that Guderian got to play, he thought his 2 weeks of rest were some kind of punishment. However, my lord, I had a cunning plan. Hoth struck toward Rhzev, and ended the turn with the farthest patrols only 60 miles from Moscow.

I knew it! One good strong kick, and the whole rotten ediface will come tumbling down. I expect there are no reserves left for the Soviets, from here on in it will just be mopping up...oh, and I also am going ahead with plans to always have Romanians on the flanks of any deep drive, never use mobile defense, and to relieve commanders who merely displease me.

I keep reading Ivanovo as Ivanhoe. Then, start thinking of good books instead of playing effectively.

You seem to not have fallen for that potential devious distraction on the Soviets part? You don't fall for their maskirovka at all.[;)]

It's really bad for me when I mix Hoth, with the Planet Hoth of Star Wars Fame....[:D]

Me?  I am always worried about the "Mecha River" south of Vilikie Luki.  I didn't know the Soviet had giant armored walkers...

PeeDeeAitch, you're doing very well [X(] As others have said you will have to make more efforts if you want to screw your game and end up in Argentina [8D]

ORIGINAL: PeeDeeAitch

Me?  I am always worried about the "Mecha River" south of Vilikie Luki.  I didn't know the Soviet had giant armored walkers...

[:D]

You're in good shape! The back door of Leningrad is ready to fall. Pummel them incessantly with full arty support and bomb them viciously.

I know, I know...this AAR is about my systematic plan to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. It is not about "planning" or "strategy" or other nonsense. Still, I figure I should show that even in the darkest AAR some light can shine. I am the broken clock, right a couple of times...but I am more like a broken century clock - right once in my life then useless from then on.

First of all , the OOB for turn 11. Note that I am whittling down the Soviets. Note that I am getting overconfident. Mark this for later...

Now the casualties from this turn (11), and the results of the first turn breaking down the big Kiev Pocket. It will take at least another turn to fully finish it off, but this is about "halfsies" so far:





As of turn 11, the 1.77 million captured and 427k KIA are what I need to continue. I keep saying "audacity" and that I have to disregard counter-attacks and worn down panzers, etc - this is what I mean. Sure the mobile units will be in sorry shape by Oct, but that is the time they will be heading to winter quarters.

Destroyed units. Here is the meat. As you can see, beyond the initial pockets I have tried to do "bounds" and cause surrenders every few turns. Turn 11 (and 12) will be big again, but the next few will be interesting as Leningrad will start to yield surrenders starting turn 12 or 13 as well...

There was quite a party in Karelia on turn 11. The dash across the Volkhov and the isolation of 15 divisions at Novgorod left the North terribly vulnerable. Added in with the "Dash to Moscow" in the Center, the losses in the Kiev Pocket, and my winning smile all made my opponent pull back to preserve units. The Karelian Finns began moving south toward yet another mysterious dotted line on the landscape. The final port had not been garrisoned well, and would have been attacked by 2 full German Divisions with pioneres on turn 11 (in a deliberate attack), so I do not blame this "better part of valor" here.

However, Leningrad is doomed. The 18th Army gets a ton of artiller reinforcements, and three full stacks on the Eastern approaches wait for turn 12 and the start of the surrenders here. Meanwhile, 4th Panzer is now on the railheads...are they going to the South? Are they going to the Center? Are they going to invade Turkey and outflank the Caucasus in 1942 (oh wait, that was my plan in Third Reich)...

As I need the Iron to build more pratical things like transports for my planned "1st Female Swimwear Motorcycle Assault Unit" all the soldiers in the North have been given Lead Crosses, 2nd class.

Impressive

Very impressive

And you are trying to lose?

I'm not sure that I'd like to play you when you've decided to go for the win!

Impressive amount of Soviet tanks wiped out; sure, they're just flimsy pieces of metal waiting to be torn assunder, but it's still good.