Idaho defends the Motherland

[IdahoNYer]

Turn 22; Nov 13, 1941.........Blizzard in North Soviet, Snow in Central and South Soviet

Looks like the mud has given way to snow across the front, and the Germans renew offensive action, as expected, in the south toward the Stalino area.

Industry Moved: Stalino area 6xHI

Here at the northern end of the front, Sitzkrieg continues. With the fall of Leningrad, this area is begining to resemble the trench warfare static positions of the Great War.

Not much activity is putting it mildly. A reconstituted 23rd Army replaces the 52nd Army in the line, freeing up the latter for offensive operations elsewhere. I decide to temp the Germans by pulling back the 27th and 11th Armies about 40 miles. He's starting to get some good fortification levels, maybe I can coax him out of them? Probably not, but its worth the chance.

No real offensive plans here in the north once blizzard hits. The lines have gone static, and that's probably OK. I may make some limited attacks, but I'm not going to try and liberate Leningrad. There are better places to attack....

[IdahoNYer]

Here at the southern end of the line, what appears to be a panzerkorps broke clean through the weak 16th Army and drove about 50 miles toward Stalino. However, while a solid penetration occurred, the advancing infantry to the west were slow to advance. Still, elements of 16th Army on the western side of the penetration are at risk - as is 9th Army if that PzKps that attacked the Crimea shows up to the west...

Southwestern Front's 5th Army is reconstitued from local STAVKA reserves, and thrown into the line. 29th Army, defending the Stalino area, grapples with the lead German elements to slow their advance.

With the potential of another 2xPzKps poised to strike 18th Army, 26th Army positions slightly more to the west as a backstop.

Additional STAVKA reserves are sent toward Stalino just in case - capable of forming into another army, but I'll really be scratching my head if Scar really pushes this attack in mid Nov. I figured he'd make a push, but I expected it a few turns earlier - instead he opted to throw the panzers against the Crimea.

Will be interesting to see if that second concentration of panzers attacks south. Stalino is a tempting target, and if he's got some rested and refueled panzers, he could threaten the entire Donets Basin area - however, by doing so, he's going to be stretched thin and not prepared for blizzard in this area.

Next turn will prove very interesting....

[IdahoNYer]

Turn 23; Nov 20, 1941........North Soviet Blizzard, elsewhere Snow.

Industry moved: Stalino 5xVeh, Kerch 2xArm, Tamboy 2xArm

Quiet along the fron except in the south where the late Autumn German offensive continues. Germans look to consolidate gains, and focus on pinching off the 16th Army, trapping 5xDivs just SE of Kharkov.

These divisions can not be rescued, and we fall back and consolidate our own lines - more focused on preserving forces in preparation for the upcoming blizzard offensive (Sov manpower reaches the 6 million mark!)

61st Army is stood up in the Stalino area, and along with the 29th Army will constitute the Caucasus Front shortly - inserted into the lines between the Southern and Southwestern Fronts once December rolls around. I've kept 61st Army concentrated near Stalino more as a counter attack force, rather than a defensive force, although for now, their primary purpose is to safeguard the Stalino area.

The Caucasus Front will be the main effort in the southern portion of the Blizzard Offensive, driving into the German positions SE of Kharkov. So while I pull Southern Front back about 40 miles, I want to keep them as far forward to the west as I can to protect the flank of the upcoming offensive.

[IdahoNYer]

Germans continue to adavance through the Crimea with what looks to be a Panzer Korps.....didn't expect that. To me, not the best place for the 2nd and 5th Pz Divs.

While I didn't expect the panzers here, not much I can do about it either. Coastal Army is in good shape behind good fortifications, and will be a tough nut to crack come summer. I may make some local attacks from here come blizzard, but I don't expect to do much other than cause casualties.

On the Kerch end, the 56th Army will attempt to hold as much of the Crimea as the Germans permit - otherwise hold the Kerch Strait. Like the Coastal Army, local attacks only come blizzard. I'm not going to push alot of troops here.

[IdahoNYer]

Turn 24; Nov 27, 1941........North Soviet Blizzard, Snow elsewhere

Industry Moved: None - all rail transport used to move armies into attack positions for upcoming blizzard offensive.

Screen shot shows probable German High Water Mark prior to the Soviet Blizzard Offensive - slated to begin next turn.

Front line from the Volkov in the north to Orel have been quiet since Leningrad fell. South of Orel, Germans maintained the offensive up through last turn - destroying 5 encircled divisions in the Kharkov Pocket.

The goal of the offensive will be primarily to cause German casualties; secondary will be to collapse the Voronezh bulge in the German lines.
Detailed plans on the screen shots to follow.

[IdahoNYer]

Here at the north end of the Front, little is expected in the upcoming offensive. The Germans/Finns pulled back behind the Volkov and are dug in. I don't see the benefit of any offensive across the river.

Zhukov was transferred out of the Leningrad Front to take command of the Volkov Front, spearheading the Blizzard Offensive near Orel. Lenningrad Front will stay on the defensive unless the Germans really decide to weaken their lines here.

[IdahoNYer]

West of Moscow, we'll limit ourselves with holding attacks - designed to keep the pressure on the Germans to prevent him from moving forces to more threatened areas.

Northwestern Front's 27th and 11th Armies will probe west to make contact with the German. I expect to find them deeply entrenched, and will not press any major attacks here as the front line is already jutting out westward.

Kalinin Front's 22nd, 24th and 20th Armies will conduct aggressive holding attacks initially on exposed German fortifications, and press to the southwest to threaten Smolensk. I don't expect any penetrations here, but I do expect the Kalinin Front to be able to weaken the German forces opposed against it.

Also, as Soviet armies move forward out of defensive positions to attack, their fortifications will be occupied by arriving Rifle Bdes to maintain the fortifications. Also, as a general rule of thumb, I don't plan on attacking with any unit with less than 40 experience. So far, few Tank Bdes meet that requirement.....

[IdahoNYer]

The main Soviet attack will be oriented on an advance toward Kursk from the north. The Germans have been preparing here for a number of weeks, so I expect tough going initially. To facilitate that somewhat, I begin advancing rifle divisions, infiltrating between German strongpoints. While I expect him strong here, I don't expect a robust defense in depth.

The plan (from north to south)

South of Kalinin Front's 20th Army, 49th Army (STAVKA) will conduct holding attacks on German forces east of Smolensk to protect the Flank of the Western Front, to its south.

Western Front, attacking with 3rd and 4th Armies forward, and 10th Army in support to the rear, will breach the German lines west of Bryansk to protect the Bryansk Front's flank from counter attack from the west.

54th Army (STAVKA) will advance southward to maintain contact with both Western Front to the west and Bryansk Front to its east.

Bryansk Front will attack with 21st and 19th Armies forward, supported by 43rd Army to take Bryansk and advance toward Kursk.

55th Army (STAVKA) will move between Bryansk and Volkov Fronts once the Fronts have advanced forward.

Volkov Front will attack initially with 34th and 48th Armies abreast, and then pass the 1st Shock Army forward after the intial German defenses are breached, and advance toward Kursk.

32nd Army (STAVKA) will protect the Volkov Front's eastern flank.

50th and 30th Armies will maintain contact with German forces to their front, and conduct local attacks as opportunity presents itself - as I expect the Germans to pull back as their northern flank becomes threatened.

[IdahoNYer]

The southern half of the offensive is still forming up due to the late German attack.

Of the screen to the north, 37th Army (STAVKA) maintains a defensive stance protecting Voronezh. It will advance as the Germans withdraw west.

Southwestern Front has already begun attacking Rumanians to its front with the 18th Army. Its 5th Army stays on the defensive until the 26th Army can be brought forward.

Caucasus Front is still forming up. It will lead with the 29th and 61st Armies attacking in the general direction of Kharkov, but I don't look at the city as its primary objective - just a point of orientation. Next week the 2nd Shock Army will be formed as the Front's third army, and spearhead the advance once it arrives in the line.

Southern Front will attack to protect the Caucasus Front's western Flank, but it is also recovering from the German attack, and its 16th Army requires reforming as it lost 50% of its strength in the latest German attack.

In the Crimea, the Transcaucasus Front will generally stay on the defensive, and attack locally as opportunity presents itself.

[IdahoNYer]

With alot of luck, this is what the plan looks like at the Macro-Level. 6x Fronts attacking to eliminate the Voronezh Bulge.

[randallw]

This is a funny looking map, with pretty big chunks of terrain taken by the Axis in the south, yet poor progress elsewhere.

[Klydon]

Interesting game for sure. Scar made a good recovery from his initial invasion woes, but has some issues now with an over extended front.

I have to believe the panzer corps in the Crimea is a raid to rip up the rail lines to prevent the Russians from attacking out during the worst of the blizzard. If not, I agree it is a foolish place to risk 2 elite panzer divisions that are up to strength.

I also think an opportunity is available to make Scar really sweat his lines of communications to Leningrad. It is not far to launch a short drive towards Pskov and you can be assured just about every German runs their rail repair efforts through that area, so it is a sensitive area for sure.

I think the overall winter offensive plan is fairly good, but would point out the area of attack is generally where the Germans will be willing to give ground, so it will be hard to keep them engaged in any meaningful way. One of the goals for the Russians is to weaken German moral while building their own and also generate a lot of guard units. I don't see red on the map yet, so that isn't necessarily a good thing.

[Peltonx]

ORIGINAL: IdahoNYer

Great job, this is the text book tactic on trapping and destoring axis units. You have pinned down 15 German divisions, I am sure some are pz and hq's but most are infantry divisions.

Over the next 2 turns you will completely pocket many and destory them causing the snow ball effect of 75% of the replasements going to the reformed units. 2by3 claims this is not how it works, but I posted screen shots more then once from more then one game.

Returning german formations get 8k to 11k replasements the first turn back before you can turn of the refit.

This in turn causes:

1. German infantry cv to be the same in January as December.
2. Causes more pocketed units in January
3. causing more pocketed units in February.
4. causing massive loses in german infantry morale
5. Causing a gimpy German 1942.

At some point I would think 2by3 would patch this exploit. I have been pointing out for over a yr, but until they do exploit the sht out of it along with the cav exploit. The blizzard is not historical at all in it present form because mostly of this snowball exploit.

The same rolling replasement exploit I use during 41 summer.

1.Destory the Lvov pocket as slowly as possible.
2. Gimps SHC front line units from turn 10 to 17
3. Most replasements go to returning units(with crap morale)
4. Makes grinding of high SHC CV stacks have a snowball effect as SHC morale crashes ( route's are huge)
5. Morale can't recover as units have to be rushed to hot areas, unlike turns 1-9.

[IdahoNYer]

I think the overall winter offensive plan is fairly good, but would point out the area of attack is generally where the Germans will be willing to give ground, so it will be hard to keep them engaged in any meaningful way. One of the goals for the Russians is to weaken German moral while building their own and also generate a lot of guard units. I don't see red on the map yet, so that isn't necessarily a good thing.

Klydon - I think he'll try and hold the shoulders of his bulge - especially around Kharkov in the south and Bryansk-Orel on the north side. Once those are bypassed/fallen, THEN he'll make haste westward out of the bulge. He's been digging heavily I think, especially on the north side. He wants to hold here for a springboard into Summer '42.

And yes, I need to work on getting Guard units. Don't have any yet...

[IdahoNYer]

Great job, this is the text book tactic on trapping and destoring axis units. You have pinned down 15 German divisions, I am sure some are pz and hq's but most are infantry divisions.

Pelton - he's not quite pinned yet - I think he'll pull back which will abandon some good fortifications without a fight. I'm good with that!

[IdahoNYer]

Turn 25; Dec 4, 1941.......Blizzard

Blizzard season is finally here! Here is the information roll up, starting with Industry.

Industry Moved: Rostov 4xHI

Force modernization: 11xCAV Corps formed

No major German forward progress in the last month, Axis forces content with eliminating the last elements of the Voronezh Pocket, moving into the Crimea and a quick thrust offensive SE of Kharkov.

Good to see a number or armament factories no longer being damaged.

[IdahoNYer]

Noteworthy leadership change is Zhukov taking over the Volkov Front - the Blizzard Offensive main effort.

Forces available keeps getting better and better. (These info screens before Soviet moves this turn)

German manpower, guns and panzers all show reduced numbers for the first time in the conflict. Soviet numbers show good increases which should get better.

[IdahoNYer]

Soviet losses for the month of Nov weren't that bad at all. German losses were also realatively light, although they reached the half million mark. I expect both to significantly increase in Dec of course.

Very few Soviet tank losses are due to the lack of tanks in the front lines - the vast majority of Soviet Tank Bdes are still forming with new equipment.

[IdahoNYer]

Lastly, the destroyed units. Nothing dramatic here.....

[IdahoNYer]

Soviet winter offensive begins!

34 attacks are initiated across the front, most of which are against the Voronzeh Bulge. All but 3 are successful. Good begining.

North of the Bulge, not much combat.

Northwestern Front's 27th and 11th Armies move to make contact with the German lines. Unfortunately, the Germans remained in their fortified positions and did not follow the Soviets when we pulled back earlier.

Kalinin Front occuppies abandoned German positions and infiltrates between fortifications. One hard lesson the Germans are learning in the Blizzard - fortifications a hex or two apart can be infiltrated and compromised. Once that is accomplished, there is a tough choice - abandon the fort to re-establish a shorter line, or try and hold and risk being cut off.

In any case, 22nd Army focuses on retaking Veliki Luki, while the 24th and 20th Armies merely look to maintain pressure and push the Germans further west from Moscow.

Didn't expect much progress here as both of these Fronts were not noticeably reinforced for any offensive action - in fact some of the better experienced rifle divisions were withdrawn to fight in the south. Any gains here are bonuses.