Thriumph or Tragedy? (D21)

[Jukipo]

Turn 79, 3/22/42 AGS

Stalino

The frontline is stabilizing before rasputitsa. Rail repair work has been fast in the past weeks. Supply situation is improving.

[Jukipo]

Situation on 3/25/42 after 80 turns.

Rasputitsa is just around the corner.

Losses in the first 80 turns: (last 5 turns in parenthesis) [replacements in 5 turns]

53002 (+3588) Heavy Rifle Squads [repl 2155]
6213 (+436) Rifle Squad – Rum [repl 280]
1698 (+678) Rifle Squad – Hun [repl 155]
4931 (+275) Rifle Squad – Fin [repl 125]
688 (+229) Rifle Squad – Ita [repl 90]
7826 (+548) Engineer Squads [repl 225]
1408 (+90) Panzers (all types) [repl 290]
2041 (+141) Fighters (all types) [repl 135]
280 (+30) Stukas & Hs-129 [repl 75]
2305 (+170) Bombers (all types) [repl 105]

Railroads are on the map in cyan.

[Jukipo]

Turn 85, 4/12/42 AGN and AGC

We are in the middle of spring raputitsa. Luftwaffe has been active harassing the enemy supply lines. We have blown railroad bridges at Bezhetsk and Kalyazin. 5th Brandenburger company jumped near Zagorsk to sabotage railroad line supplying troops in the Moscow bulge.

[Jukipo]

Turn 85, 4/12/42 AGS

Rail repair has been fast during the last weeks. Only a little more work and we’ll have continuous line from Moscow to the Black Sea.

Losses in the first 85 turns: (last 5 turns in parenthesis) [replacements in 5 turns]

53281 (+280) Heavy Rifle Squads [repl 2155]
6249 (+36) Rifle Squad – Rum [repl 280]
1698 (+0) Rifle Squad – Hun [repl 155]
4938 (+7) Rifle Squad – Fin [repl 125]
775 (+87) Rifle Squad – Ita [repl 90]
7869 (+43) Engineer Squads [repl 225]
1428 (+20) Panzers (all types) [repl 325]
2154 (+113) Fighters (all types) [repl 135]
288 (+8) Stukas & Hs-129 [repl 75]
2366 (+61) Bombers (all types) [repl 105]

[Jukipo]

Turn 90, 4/29/1942

Rasputitsa is over. It's time to start a new season. Let's take a look about the inventory of the most important weapon systems.

Typical German infantry division is about 90% strength. I have over 41000 HRS.

Panzer divisions are in very good shape. I have about 7000 panzers.

My artillery is at full strength and I have a good surplus of tubes on hand.

Fighter squadrons are at full strength.

I have lost too many level bombers.

I have lost too much Finnish Rifle Squads. Typical Finnish division is only 70% strength.

[DanNeely]

ORIGINAL: Jukipo

Turn 90, 4/29/1942

Rasputitsa is over. It's time to start a new season. Let's take a look about the inventory of the most important weapon systems.

Typical German infantry division is about 90% strength. I have over 41000 HRS.

Panzer divisions are in very good shape. I have about 7000 panzers.

My artillery is at full strength and I have a good surplus of tubes on hand.

Fighter squadrons are at full strength.

I have lost too many level bombers.

I have lost too much Finnish Rifle Squads. Typical Finnish division is only 70% strength.

Are you planning on doing anything offensive with the Finns (I don't think I've seen any screenshots from their eastern border); or are they just digging in all along the front line for the indefinite future?

How're your other allies doing?

[larryfulkerson]

Have you made any plans for Stalingrad?

[Jukipo]

Are you planning on doing anything offensive with the Finns (I don't think I've seen any screenshots from their eastern border); or are they just digging in all along the front line for the indefinite future?

Finnish eastern border... It's difficult to advance any further.

In the far north near Murmansk I had to withdraw back to Litsa River. Now the enemy is low on supply and we are at stalemate.

The enemy is too strong near Alakurtti. It's just impossible to advance. We would lose hundreds of squads just to try.

In March two finnish divisions advanced near Kochkoma. We would need 2-3 divisions more to cut Murmansk rail and advance to Belomorsk.

I have just enough troops to hold Svir River line. There is nothing to gain south of Svir.

[Jukipo]

How're your other allies doing?

Rumanians have lost about 6300 squads. They have received replacements 5000 squads. So the net loss is about 1300 squads. Overall I think they are in good shape.

I have 736 Hungarian and 879 Italian replacements on hand, so they are at full strength.

[Jukipo]

4/28/1942 Berlin

Case Blue is our plan for the strategic summer offensive. We are going to deliver the final decisive strike to end this war. The objectives are Caucasus oil fields at Maykop, Grozny and Baku. At the same time, we are going to capture Stalingrad and secure Volga River line.

The offensive is going to proceed in 5 phases:

Phase 1. We are going to encircle and destroy enemy troops near the frontline.
Phase 2. Advance to Don bend and capture of Rostov
Phase 3. Stalingrad, Krasnodar and Maykop are captured
Phase 4. Advance to the Caspian Sea
Phase 5. Baku and Astrakhan

AGC is going to straighten the frontline between Tula and Voronezh.

We can’t begin the offensive until the situation near Moscow is resolved. Planned start date of the offensive is late May, early June.

[Jukipo]

Turn 87, 4/19/42, AGC

19th Panzer Division captures a bridge over Moscow River. Rasputitsa continues, but Moscow area is well supplied.

[Jukipo]

Turn 90, 4/29/42, AGC

Offensive operations are again possible due to dry ground. Our panzer divisions breakthrough the enemy line east of Moscow. Zagorsk is captured. Our next goal is to seal the pocket by joining hands between Dimitrov and Zagorsk.

[Jukipo]

Turn 90, 4/29/42, AGS

Kursk

During the last days of rasputitsa we have been probing towards Voronezh. 23rd PD arrived by train.

[Jukipo]

Turn 90, 4/29/42, AGS

Stalino

We captured a bridgehead over Donets River near Izium. It’s a good position to begin our panzer drive to the rear of the enemy.

Meanwhile near Gorlovka our infantry is slowly moving forward towards Voroshilovgrad. Idea is to soften the enemy line before breakthrough. 40th Panzer Korps is refitting at Gorlovka.

[Jukipo]

Turn 91, 5/3/42, AGC

The Pocket is closed! We have enveloped several enemy armies near Moscow.

Surrounded troops include 17 divisions, 31 brigades, 16 tank brigades, 6 artillery brigades, 5 Army HQs, Moscow Front HQ and STAVKA.

80cm Dora RR artillery arrived by train to soften the pocket.

[Jukipo]

Turn 91, 5/3/42, AGS

Kursk

We are slowly pushing forward on our southern flank. 48th Panzer Korps is resting near Voronezh. We are waiting for reinforcements from the Moscow front before we can launch the summer offensive.

[DanNeely]

ORIGINAL: Jukipo

Are you planning on doing anything offensive with the Finns (I don't think I've seen any screenshots from their eastern border); or are they just digging in all along the front line for the indefinite future?

Finnish eastern border... It's difficult to advance any further.

In the far north near Murmansk I had to withdraw back to Litsa River. Now the enemy is low on supply and we are at stalemate.

The enemy is too strong near Alakurtti. It's just impossible to advance. We would lose hundreds of squads just to try.

In March two finnish divisions advanced near Kochkoma. We would need 2-3 divisions more to cut Murmansk rail and advance to Belomorsk.

I have just enough troops to hold Svir River line. There is nothing to gain south of Svir.

Is having your entire front line be behind a super-river really worth holding that far south? A line just north of Petrozavodsk-Viteli along the lakes would only need garrisoning about half as many hexes which could shake loose the few divisions needed to roll the Soviets up along the rail line.

[Jukipo]

Is having your entire front line be behind a super-river really worth holding that far south? A line just north of Petrozavodsk-Viteli along the lakes would only need garrisoning about half as many hexes which could shake loose the few divisions needed to roll the Soviets up along the rail line.

Railroad line to north goes through Petrozavodsk. If I lose the town I can't supply troops near Kochkoma. I think I'm going to keep Svir line and try to find troops somewhere else. I have three finnish divisions near Volkhov. I have to think about it... Anyway, this is a secondary front. Case Blue is our main offensive this summer.

[Jukipo]

Turn 92, 5/6/42, AGC

We are reducing the pocket near Moscow. We have to take it out fast. Troops are needed for Case Blue.

[Jukipo]

Turn 92, 5/6/42, AGS

Kursk

Our supply railroad goes through Kastornoye. The northern frontline is too close. Hungarians couldn’t advance without the help of 23rd PzD.

Meanwhile our southern flank is advancing towards Novy Oskol.