A look at Barbarossa. (AAR)

[Orm]

I launch my first attack of the game in the far north. A finnish corps disorganized and out of supply is a to tempting target to pass. The attack is a 5-1 +1.


Picture taken during Allied Combat Declaration, impulse #4, Jul/Aug 1941 (Turn 2 of 5)

[Orm]

Germany decided to make it a blietzkrieg battle. But with a modified die roll of 8 (on the 1d10 table) the attack was a success anyway.

Here is how the far north front looks after the attack. Murmansk front looks very secure now. Just that pesky ski division...


Picture taken at end of Allied impulse #4, Jul/Aug 1941 (Turn 2 of 5)

[Orm]

Moving the Mannerheim HQ into the swamp was indeed a suprise. I am not happy on how this looks but this is how my defence looks on the north front.


Picture taken at end of Allied impulse #4, Jul/Aug 1941 (Turn 2 of 5)

[Orm]

And the central part of the front. I am truly not happy with it but I suppse that is to be expected during the second turn of the invasion.


Picture taken at end of Allied impulse #4, Jul/Aug 1941 (Turn 2 of 5)

[Orm]

And the south front. If I was unhappy with the central front I am miserable with things on the south front.


Picture taken at end of Allied impulse #4, Jul/Aug 1941 (Turn 2 of 5)

[Orm]

I railed in 2 militia to Krasnodar. Maybe that will be enough...


Picture taken at end of Allied impulse #4, Jul/Aug 1941 (Turn 2 of 5)

[Red Prince]

When I moved my Air Force to the southern front last impulse, it was specifically intended to be used in a massive O-chit Ground Strike on the stacks of Soviets in front of Rundstedt. However, I have no fighter support to protect my bombers, and I see several opportunities I want to exploit with my ground forces, so I've decided to use my O-chit for a Land Action, still with Rundstedt leading the way.

It seems my side-shows did work as intended. I've managed to cross the Dneiper without a shot being fired. Of course, if my attacks this impulse go badly, that won't mean much. We shall see what we shall see. I want to think this one over carefully, so it will probably be morning before I post everything that happens this impulse. (I also have other work I should be doing, too

[brian brian]

Centuur makes an important point worth repeating for newer fans watching the game at home.....playing this scenario is extremely different than playing out Barbarossa during a full campaign game, or even the scenario that starts in M/J 41 and goes to the end of the war.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: brian brian

Centuur makes an important point worth repeating for newer fans watching the game at home.....playing this scenario is extremely different than playing out Barbarossa during a full campaign game, or even the scenario that starts in M/J 41 and goes to the end of the war.

But different in several ways. The Japanese aren't a worry for the USSR. The Brits aren't a worry for Germany. The confined battlefield and game length make a big difference since both sides have no concerns about 'saving' any units past the last turn. The choices of optional rules also has an impact.

Nonetheless, when all is said and done, it is an excellent learning scenario for WIF land operations. And as Bjorn and Aaron are showing, it doesn't take very long to complete the game/scenario. Whenever I play a game over the board it is always twice, once as each side - which can be somewhat difficult to do with the full Global War scenario.[:D]

[Red Prince]

This being an O-chit offensive, instead of guessing what the USSR should do with its aircraft, I've sent a copy of the current save (Ground Support) to Orm (Björn) so that he can tell me what he'd like used. The impulse has been interesting so far, and I'm sure that the unhappiness Orm felt earlier isn't going to go away just yet. Things haven't been going completely my way (yet), so how the attacks I'm making play out will determine how the rest of the turn is played, I think.

I probably won't get an answer until morning (here), so I'm saving up for tomorrow.

[Joseignacio]

I wouldn't have sent anything to kerch due to the supply problems they could have (always move around the cosast with a swam hex included) whic should be even bigger when I took the Sevastopol fleet for a ride. Also, the Dnieper line of defense is one of the few strong obstacles to the german player. If there is something worth defending it's that one. So, if he needs to use one fo his O chits, he may. THEN I would retreat.

[Red Prince]

With the front lines beginning to crack, I decided it was time to try for some serious destruction. My fighter pilots are all on holiday, apparently, so I have to save a few Air Missions for rebasing later on; that Ground Strike attempt on Rundstedt by the Soviets last impulse could really have fouled up my summer offensive. So, I used two of my bombers to try a few Ground Strikes of my own, targeting the central two stacks just over the Dneiper, those being my intend targets for the O-chit Offensive. (The two stacks with an ARM on top in Post #105)

Flying without FTR cover, both LND were intercepted. I forgot to take a screenshot before the strikes, but you can see the ones I used in Post #99. You can also see the interceptors there. I had them cross paths, sending the Ju 88A4 to the southern target, and the Ju 87D to the northern one. This made both Air-to-Air combats +1/-1 in favor of the USSR.

Things never work out as you plan them. [:@] But I suppose I should have been happy, anyway. The northern dogfight was uneventful, with my bomber cleared through and the enemy fighter returning to Bryansk (I tried to send it to Voronezh, but was short 1 point of range). I didn't get through in the south, both rolls being less than average, but at least I got rid of another enemy fighter. The Yak pilot survived, but that's okay.


Picture taken after Air-to-Air Combat, Axis impulse #5, Jul/Aug 1941 (Turn 2 of 5)

[Red Prince]

Egads! My bombadeer must have been off drinking with the fighter pilots the night before! Three easy targets, a 50% chance to disorganize each, and he decides to bomb some trees and a stray cow! End result for my Ground Strikes: nothing! This failure called for a slight change in tactics. Without any bonuses for disorganized units, I couldn't hope to take both 17-factor stacks.


Picture taken after Ground Strike, Axis impulse #5, Jul/Aug 1941 (Turn 2 of 5)

[Red Prince]

So, I began planning for the future. I railed the 105mm Heavy AA Gun from Vilna to Vitebsk, and the Munich Militia to hold fort in Novgorod. Then I planned manuevers and attacks.

I settled on the northern of those two stacks to try for a Blitz attack. With 10 Factors of Ground Support, I managed to push the odds to 83:17 (4:1, with an 88% shot at 5:1), by doubling 2 Panzers and 2 Infantry Corps (left). This, of course, is a Blitzkrieg.

For my second attack, I decided to go for Stalino instead of the other stack with an ARM in it. The factory here hasn't been railed out yet, and by doubling the 4 Corps shown (right), I was able to get 62:12 combat odds. We both added 4 factors of Ground Support, making this a 66:16 attack (4:1, -1 modifier for the city, with a 1 in 8 chance of 5:1). This isn't great odds, but has a 40% chance to shatter the enemy and take the city. I'll risk it.

I made no other attacks, but I'll show the results of my movement later.


Picture taken after Ground Support, Axis impulse #5, Jul/Aug 1941 (Turn 2 of 5)

[Red Prince]

And the results (wait for it[:)]):

The blitz went fine, indeed! The random numbers 'rolled' me a .327 for Fractional Odds, pushing things onto the 5:1 CRT, and my soldiers must have learned something from thier failure last turn. The roll was an '8', giving me two confirmed kills, a Breakthrough, and everyone still organized to fight another day. The only decision here was if I should convert the result to a Retreat. If I do, his 1st Armor Corps gets disorganized for the rest of the turn, and can possibly be killed later. If I don't, I can get behind enemy lines to threaten both of his HQ in this region. I decide to take the land and let his tanks sit on the sidelines until autumn.

In the Assault on Stalino, I am not so lucky. I didn't get the 1 in 8 for the 5:1 table here, and I rolled a '5' on the 4:1 table, which is actually a '4' due to the die roll modifier. Net result: the Soviet 4th Infantry Division gets a hero's funeral, and everyone else involved is disorganized. All in all, it could have been a lot worse. I'll have another shot at this later in the turn.

When it came time to rebase aircraft, I decided that the fighter support I wanted will have to wait for later (partially). I have a few soft spots that could be counter-attacked if Orm is feeling desperate, so I brought anothe bomber up to the front and moved the fighter-bomber with good range from Vilna to a slightly more forward position where it can provide support if it's needed.

It was then time to unleash the wonderful healing powers of the O-chit! Rundstedt handed out supplies to 4 good Corps and my best bomber. I would have used the last 2 points on the fighter, but it can't reach my exposed Panzers, anyway, and I have several more waiting to be deployed on my next impulse.


Picture taken at HQ Reorganization, Axis impulse #5, Jul/Aug 1941 (Turn 2 of 5)

[Red Prince]

At the end of my impulse, this is what the entire battlefield looks like. My screen only has 1280 x 800 resolution, which means not much north to south, so this just gives you a feel for where the lines are drawn.


Picture taken at end of Axis impulse #5, Jul/Aug 1941 (Turn 2 of 5)

[Red Prince]

Here is a better look at the Northern Front. Tricky (but completely legal) movement planning allowed von Leeb to get into range to supply the Panzers in the north, connecting the North and Central Fronts beyond the swamps.


Picture taken at end of Axis impulse #5, Jul/Aug 1941 (Turn 2 of 5)

[Red Prince]

Yes, there are Panzers in them there hills. [:)] A better view of the stacks:


Picture taken at end of Axis impulse #5, Jul/Aug 1941 (Turn 2 of 5)

[Red Prince]

While the O-chit offensive could have been sweeter tasting, I'm certainly happy with the results. The Soviet retreat has almost made it possible to connect the Central and South Fronts, too!


Picture taken at end of Axis impulse #5, Jul/Aug 1941 (Turn 2 of 5)

[Red Prince]

I did a lot of shuffling in the center, where the enemy is most threatening to me. This is what I face there, though I don't know how long it can last. Again, I've ordered my soldiers to pray, this time for a very long summer! [:D] (This image was edited to show more Flyouts)


Picture taken at end of Axis impulse #5, Jul/Aug 1941 (Turn 2 of 5)