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ORIGINAL: hooooper

The first snow turn is 38, I think. But I gather the Germans begin recovering CV in February.

Actually, you start getting some recovery in January, sometimes hard to notice depending on the level of beating. The February CV increase is very noticeable, enough so that the Germans can counterattack (but still get blizzard morale hits).

Just curious how much time you have in the south. Stalin had fantasies that aren't as good as your Romanian/ Hungarian/ Italian front is at the moment.

Oh, and your assessment of Bomazz is spot on, in our 30 years of gaming, he pretty much plays to the extremes, logistics are key, and psychological warfare is not only encouraged, but preferred.

I think there is enough time to get somewhere. But my aims are modest: I want to take Kharkov and Nikolaev and use them to anchor a forward defence line. As I was telling Pelton, I'm expecting the Germans to take the initiative once the blizzard is over with those units that spent the winter in Germany.

Psychological warfare, eh? I'll be on my guard ..

Turn 30
More of the same: slow progress in the north, no progress in the Moscow sector and a rout in the south. Between the south and Moscow, a series of battles are being fought for Tula, Kursk and Kharkov. These cities are too strong to be assaulted frontally, but all are somewhat vulnerable to eventual encirclement. I'm beginning to think that it will
come down to a test of nerve as to who holds on longest.

Leningrad.

Leningrad after Soviet moves. Contact is reestablished with the cavalry division, and a couple of hexes are taken. I'm not really expecting to get to the city.

The NW before Soviet moves ...

And after ... painfully slow progress. VV is going to be difficult to take, without a frontal assault and a huge bloodbath.

Moscow after Soviet moves. Again only two or three hexes have been taken, but I want to fortify every hex around the city, ready for the inevitable German countercounterattack.

Tula after Soviet moves. Pressure is starting to build to the south of the city, but Western Front has yet to develop its offensive to the north,

Kursk. The breakthrough is still in progress south of the city, but SW Front lacks the power to extend it. Stavka is assembling 38th Army to help with the exploitation.

Kharkov, which I continue to think will be the crucial sector in the medium term. 56th armoured brigade takes Poltova as a battle honour, 90 miles to the south west of Kharkov. I don't expect my opponent to evacuate.

South. As I mentioned the aim of this offensive is to roll up the flanks of the German armies to north and south rather than advancing to the Rumanian border. But the question still arises: how far west to push? As far as I know there is no value in taking Soviet territory I can't hold, so I don't see the point of going much beyond the Ingul. In any case, the offensive is being held up by a lack of armour.

Production. Output may improve when all those damaged units are repaired. In terms of the war of the factories, the Soviets are probably stretching their lead in artillery, but they are not improving their position greatly for armour, air or men.

The big picture in the south. It's pretty obvious, geometrically, what the Soviet objectives are going to be

Turn 31

Not much action in the north, hence the single large screenshot. I have reduced activity in the hope of acquiring a little more manpower.

At Tula, the Red Army approaches the city's south western outskirts. The artillery commander around Red Square is on 24-hour alert to fire a 21-gun salute when the city falls ....

Kursk. Two reserve armies are being sent to add a little oomph to the attack. At present they are being overseen by Marshal Kulik, an interesting chap who pioneered some human resources techniques that were later employed by Enron. He was very good friends with Marshal Stalin, despite the fact that he (Stalin) had executed his (Kulik's) wife.

And the fate of Kursk is important because it has a bearing on the all important battle for Kharkov. Significant progress is made in here, but if, as I suspect, Bomazz orders his troops in the city to stand fast despite the looming encirclement, will I have time to complete the pocket, reduce it and go over to the defensive before the snow turns? Obviously, he is trying to defend with the bare minimum of troops, but will he commit reserves from Germany to hold it? Note the armoured brigades on the move to the southern sector; they were just getting in the way in the Moscow sector.

The south. Little opposition is encountered by North Caucusus and Transcaucasian fronts. Soviet armour is now 40 miles from Nikolaev.