1.04 The Wolf and the Bear (no Gids)

[randallw]

Sometimes leader deaths are mentioned in the logistics report.

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: randallw

Sometimes leader deaths are mentioned in the logistics report.

Yes, I have seen them occasionally, but I don't study the event log every turn, so they tend to die without me noticing anything. I really think there could be a cuple of lines for leader deaths in the loss screen, there usually are not that many.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 52. June 11 1942. Clear weather over the entire map! (No freak June snowfalls.)

The offensive north of Moscow is grinding forward, but there are no easy gains. I am getting a feeling this is costing much more than can be justified. I understand why the real Germans did their 1942 offensive in the south. The woods are making a difference.

I think I will break off the offensive here and reinforce success in the south instead.

[Tarhunnas]

In the south, things are going better. The encirclement east of Kharkov is completed, and the panzers are nosing their way north. At the same time, 2d Panzer Army is heading south from Tula. However, I think the grand plan here is just a little bit too obvious. The Sovs will in all likelihood evacuate the bulge, but that will put them in open country without their extensive entrenchments. [:)]

[Tarhunnas]

Losses... aaargh! More than 500 tanks lost this turn. Ouch! I cannot continue this. And I am losing more tanks than the Soviets. Not good at all!

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 53. June 18 1942.

The Soviets are counterattacking! Not only have they broken the encirclement, they have encircled my spearhead! [:@] Well, we have ways of dealing with that!

Map before German moves.

[Tarhunnas]

Counterattacks at Tula too, apparently they tried to cut off this spearhead as well, but no such luck for them. This is exciting, a good old battle of maneuver, no more sitting in trenches! Map before German moves.

[Tarhunnas]

The Crimea has been turned into a virual fortress by the Soviets. I sent a panzer division there in the hope of accomplishing anything, but we have hardly any progress at all. I send the Panzer division up to Kharkov instead.

[Tarhunnas]

The Tula area after German moves. The Panzers turn west in the hope of encircling part of the Soviet defenders, but one hex remains in Soviet hands...

Note Panzer Corps west of Orel, transferred from 3d Panzer Army, now hidden in woods, ready to strike from the west next turn to complete the encirclement.

[Tarhunnas]

And the Southern pincer. The encirclement is reestebablished, and now it should hold...

[Tarhunnas]

Of course the pesky Soviets broke the encirclement again. Cant they ever be nice and cooperative? [;)]

Now however, both the northern and southern encirclements have been firmly established.

[Tarhunnas]

Losses are much lighter now, but the ratio is still unsustainable in the long run. I count on recouping that once the pockets are finished though.

I think the reason for the relatively light Soviet tank losses is that there simply aren't many Soviet tanks around. I suspect their tank production took a heavy hit in 41.

[Tarhunnas]

The larger picture on the southern half of the front, with the revised grand plan for the summer offensive marked. Voronezh is the goal! Not for the sake of the city, but it is a convenient meeting point.

The thrust north of Moscow has been abandoned, though some attacks are kept up to attract enemy reserves.

[Tarhunnas]

I just realized that my very high tank losses are probably caused by the bug corrected in 1.04.28. See: tm.asp?m=2836326&mpage=1&key=&#2837879. Well, such is life when playing with beta patches [8|]. But losing 1500-200 tanks in 4 weeks, that put the death knell to my 1942 summer offensive [:(]. At least it wasn't my fault. [;)]

[Klydon]

Yeah, that would explain a lot here as well for mine. My tank strength went down fast. 

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 55. The northern pocket is eliminated! 130.000 men went into captivity and 2000 guns were captured. Only 28 AFV though.

We are making progress towards Voronezh and the big pocket, but the Ivans can probably escape with most of their forces if they pull back now.

[Tarhunnas]

Losses turn 55. Looking better. [:)] A large part is the pocket of course...

[Mynok]

You've cut the rail out of there so he'll have a hard time extracting most of those units now.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 56. July 9 1942.

The big pocket is closed! I am a little surprised that STAVKA didn't see that one coming and pulled back more, but maybe it was the cut railroads that hampered them. Anyway, one of the biggest pockets of the war is closed, containing several corps among other things.

Panzers are also across the Don, cutting the rail lines to Voronezh.

The Southern small pocket has been cleared. It yielded 60.000 men, 800 guns and 54 AFV.

[Tarhunnas]

I have thinned out other sectors to pull together the forces for the central offensive. The Soviets have apparently noticed that, and down at Taganrog a full blown crisis is in the brewing. The Soviets are crossing the Mius in foce. I will have to pull back, or be pushed back. However, I keep my cool and starve the area of reinforcements. Once the central battle is decided, I can send down a Panzer army, and then the Sovs will be in the open, and in open warfare, the Panzers rule! Perhaps I will be able to trap them against the sea?