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Turn 5 (Turn finished June 27 2023)

Soviet End of Turn (EoT)


Again, I am just moving pieces quickly and just throwing things around to form lines trying to avoid excessive losses (although what I am doing in game can contribute to super excessive losses, LOL). I am not attacking(there will come a time when I will even there there have been ample opportunities to do so), I am not dropping supplies, I am not bombing the hell out of the Germans, I am retreating east in the south, I am going to form a "whole" line from North to South.

I am HAPPY that the dang Soviet Corps are finally leaving. I am also shunning using the Airborne Corps and Cav Corps. Yes, I still use them in some places and the Airborne Corps HQ's give really nice benefits. But I am still shunning using them. Is it the "right" thing to do? No! But I am doing it in this game. Again certain places I am using them but will be coming off the line when I get enough Command in places.


(Please NOTE that some of these defensive positions I have taken are very detrimental. It is for the reader to figure out or ask others where these flaws are in my defense. I am sure many have picked up on them by now



North EoT

Just holding onto the dual line track here. (Novograd is pretty weak in this area for me but "could" be a stretch for the Germans)





Center

Germans look to have exhausted themselves in this area, PZ at 7, Inf at a 7. I could have attack some but I am just bidding my time and gaining Combat Prep and lowering Fatigue. (That time is WAY into the future by the way )





Bryansk

Germans look pretty weak here too. I will let them be for now. Is is the right thing to do? Yes, I did not have the units I wanted to semi sacrifice for it






Gomel

More Soviet Attacks to the east ;-P

Turn 5

Kiev

More moves to the east, nothing calculated just move, errr I mean attacking east




Lower Dnepr

I set up defense on the lower Dnepr. I have no intention of long term defense. A delay of a turn or two at most. My goal is more attacking to the east to help out the Germans (retreat east)




Crimea

I have ZERO intention of defending the Crimea. Zero, zilch, nada. I will give it up without a fight. Is it the correct thing to do? NOPE. But it is my way of doing it.

Turn 5

Conclusion


I am playing with full blown TOE. Meaning I have my units set to 100% TOE. As such I have no intention of those units getting massacred and thus have opted to retreat east on the majority of the battlefield. I am a "PRO" of TOE manipulation with proper defense depth of respective TOE units. But all of that comes as a time sync in doing my turns. I opted to play quick turns with 100% TOE instead of delving into that. Thus my retreat to the East on the majority of the battlefield to get to that "equilibrium" location for the Soviets to meet the Germans. It will not always be a retreat to the east and some big battles will start taking place. It may not be in 41, or in 42, but 100% will be in 43 for the Soviets. I am just "bidding" my time. Is it the right thing to do? I have my answer

Turn 6

Beginning of Turn (BoT)


Events!!!!!!

Turn 6

BoT

Weather!!!!!

Turn 6

BoT

Ground Losses

Germans can easily cause this many losses on the Soviets. With my set-up and a bit more rested Germans these numbers will/should sky-rocket.

Turn 6

BoT

Air Losses


I am happy with the results so far in the air.

Turn 6

BoT

Truck situation

Turn 6

BoT

OOB

Turn 6

BoT

Air Directives


Well..... it was bound to happen. I get a bit cocky on my Air directives this turn and put more up. 20/20 being hindsight I put too much up for my build rate as next turn will show

Turn 6

These are "ALL" of my fighters and fighter bombers that are on the map. That is it. Along with those fighters and fighter/bombers I have only these IL2's on the map (granted I do have some recon and transport too but not true fighting planes, IF you can even consider Soviet Fighters and fighter/bombers worthy of the title in the first place that is).

Turn 6

German Attacks from North to South in order this post and next.


North has a reserves brought in at Leningrad in pink. Also lots of AS battles going on around Pskov.

Turn 6

German Attacks, last two snapshots

Turn 6

I hope to get into more detail in the future with my AAR on battles but at the moment just a TON of boring administrative work on the Soviet army, which I am sure "everyone" knows what to do.


End of Turn Soviet position

North to South

Turn 6

End of Turn Soviet Positions

Turn 6

Conclusion

No Recon flown. I think I flew one maybe two air drops and that is all so far this game. I am just saving up the planes when I really will need them. I am just mindlessly doing turns while in the the German glory turns. It is all fun all the same and I am sure my opponent is going to surprise me when I stop retreating so darn much, errr I mean attacking to the east.

So far, you have been quite lucky with the weather - multiple rain turns before August. How much do you think that contributed to the decay of German CVs?

FortTell wrote: Mon Jul 17, 2023 5:55 am So far, you have been quite lucky with the weather - multiple rain turns before August. How much do you think that contributed to the decay of German CVs?

The weather is a blessing and a curse. If the Germans rest a turn or two because of the light mud the Soviets can only pray that the breakthrough is not too painful after abatement of the light mud. To me I feel the supply situation is more of a detriment to the German CV than the mud is and the mud is a contributor to that .

Rested and supplied Germans are damn near terrifying to face

This is from the future in this game. This is turn 11 situation and I just want to appeal to my Germany playing friends to please consider 3 hex ZOC instead of 2 hex ZOC. It really ruins many Soviet opportunities if you cater to the 3 hex ZOC. But for illustration purposes here is the front line around Bryansk turn 11 in my current game. You can see there is a two hex ZOC circled in pink in this picture.




As you can see I have enough MP's to zoom through with 10 left over. Granted this part of the map it is not conducive to do so since I am just trying to illustrate a point. In a nutshell 2 hex ZOC no worky very well.


With 3 hex ZOC Soviets can only go three hexes pretty much as shown in this snapshot. Just something to consider and good luck out there.


PLUS, learning to rest your troops, playing leap frog, or just flat out stop for a couple turns is good to get in the habit of with your troops. But I am sure there is a ton of this material written up on the forums.

This is looking exceedingly bleak. He has no breakthrough potential anywhere. His best bet is the grinding, but I don't see him having much success at curbing your OOB.

Still early days yet I suppose.