FITE2 Cpt Flam Axis, Larry Soviets

[cpt flam]

Turn 21, august end

AGN
there is 3 pending attacks, retreat everywhere and only 1 advance by 23rd regiment

I wasted my last offensive chit, as I got 3 impulses before failing a proficiency check
air war continue with 37 vs 181
we begin to encounter MiG and Yak, a bit more

[cpt flam]

AGC

first unit get to contact with Roslavl
we are closing toward Bryansk

as you can see, we find a new division behind front line

this small turn, give us possibility to destroy 45 regiment and 7 HQ (of whom 9th Army)

[cpt flam]

11th Army and friends

Tiraspol is taken

HQ attacked by Rumania will retreat, this attack cost much due to fleet support

16th Panzer with Italian help will dislodge defenders
few units will be isolated 24 regiment and 8 HQ

AGS continue to advance toward Kiev

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the southern half of the front lines and I must state here for the record that there's a lot of German units that aren't showing up on this map image. My theater recon value is very low and I can't spot very far unfortunately. So the German units can actually sneak up on me. If it weren't for the border between our units I wouldn't know where they are. Oh wait, we're playing with "NO Borders" and that means I can't rely on the borders to tell me where his units are. D'oh. So it appears that neither of us knows where they are right now. We can see the crust of the Axis cake.

[larryfulkerson]

I've moved quite a few units and the front lines are changing. I'm building multiple screens because Patrick has a nack of overrunning what screens I do put out. So I need more than just one. I'm hoping to soon have enough troops to form a proper front line and stop the German advance. The AS balance is not as bad as it once was but my planes are still falling out of the air. I'll have to look into the losses so far.

[cathar1244]

That is a huge map. One could lost just in the Crimea portion.

Cheers

[larryfulkerson]

New moves from Patrick and I watched the combat replay for about 15 minutes and then went to get another Dr. Pepper, my 7th so far today and when I got back I noticed that there were more than 12K events. No wonder it took so long. It just occured to me that you guys might like to see the playback too so I'll zip it up and post it on the next post below.

The Axis forces did another turn of pushing the Soviet units back, surrounding them and destroying them. The Axis advance is moving quickly to the east in many local sectors and has come to a complete halt in other sections. The Soviets are desperately trying to get some MLR's started. MLR's strong enough to hold back German Panzers.

Replacements are arriving by the boat-load, always out of supply and only a skeleton staff for equipment. They need about four turns to fill up with authorized equipment and gather their supply.

My aircraft are falling out of the sky but the Axis losses are trending upward. I've adopted a war of attrition since that's the policy forced upon me by circumstances. I'm not, of course, trying to lose units as fast as possible. The carnage is a result of my defending forward, using weak, slow units. Units easy to overtake and surround. I predict that the Axis advance will approach Moscow really closely.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the file Patrick sent to me. My password is "password" without the quotes.

[larryfulkerson]

I started checking out the battles and I came to this airfield attack and I'm not real sure who is attacking who here. I'm guessing it's an Axis attack on a Russian airfield just because of where it's located....far to the east. I especially noticed the minor nations aircraft also participated and I suppose there's no way to control which battle they take part in if the are given a generic AS mission. But there is a house rule about the separate minor nations units taking part in the same battle, it's forbidden. But in this case there's no way to prevent it. So I have no problem with it happening by accident.

[larryfulkerson]

This is the northern half of the front lines in T22 before I've started moving any units. You can see where I'm trying to build another defensive line behind the existing ones because if the Axis forces haven't already broken through this turn they soon will. I'm slowly waking up to the fact that I need more arty in the backfield before my troops can stand up to the Germans. I'll take a look in the OOB and see if I can't find all the unemployed arty tubes on the map and give them something to do. Right....like there's any unemployed arty tubes. Maybe I should do a rough and dirty survey of where all the independent arty units are and spread them out better....or maybe it's best to concentrate some in the most important spots? I guess it all depends on how many arty units there are. I'll have to throw together a quick and dirty map of some kind to tell me where everybody is, especially the Panzer units. Stay tuned for another post about an hour from now.

[cpt flam]

as Larry show, we are now to turn 22

in AGN
I'm trying to unblock situation
major part of 6th Panzer came on rail for next use

during Soviet turn, they tried some airfield and bridge attack loosing more than 100 planes for 15 of mine.
this turn, I lost 45 more for 250 of his[8D]

as I show rail line are at the front line

[cpt flam]

AGC

some progress is made

the picture is there to show supply state and keep some secret

as you can see, HQ are just behind the front to support it
I'm not sure, but some of them must not use all their support
from memory, many got 105 with range of 2 and I don't see much with range different of 3

rail line are far behind as in the south

[cpt flam]

AGS

contact is made with Kiev fortress

many infantry units are still coming toward front

there was few elimination, only 25 regiment and 10 HQ
isolated are at least 31 regiment and 2 HQ (some more can be hidden as in a large pocket)

we are improving the beach head across the river in the south

[larryfulkerson]

Okay, here's where the fun starts. Patrick has fractured my front line into multiple pieces and will soon have all those units surrounded and the follow on forces will babysit and the recon units will continue eastward. The hole will get bigger over time and the Soviet units north and south of the hole will be forced to pull back or get killed. There will be no pause from the Germans and they will drive on Moscow and before the dozen divisions I have resting and refitting are fully baked I'll have to committ them to the fight while they are still red. It's starting to get exciting.

[cpt flam]

there is no need to get ART in first line as they have range from 2 or 3 hexes (some with more)

situation on turn 23
in AGN

front has partially been broken
we've taken Rezekne and advance toward Ostrov

air war is still bloody 48 vs 290 (approximately)

[cpt flam]

bulge concerning AGC

rail line is closing toward front line

recon unit had to get back 1 hex to recover supply

4 Infantry divisions are moving from rear area, and four more are finishing a small pocket

few units destroyed this turn: 26 regiment and only 4 HQ

[cpt flam]

AGS supply don't reach anymore Kiev and units in and around

11th Army and friends
separation between Rumania and Italy is visible (as they can't fight together)
the pocket comprise 8 regiment (some ART in them) and 7 HQ

I tried to assault a bit south with no success (defender supported by 203mm ART)

in all 40 regiment and 19 HQ must be isolated

[cpt flam]

Turn 24 is on

in AGN, front has been shaken
some progress is made
part of the line is on stand-by with no possibility to progress

air war was better this time, only 23 planes lost for about 190

on the 3 pictures, I noted rail lines

[cpt flam]

AGC
same sector as before

this time the threat become better
we will see if Russia continue to be stubbornly on "Hold at all cost"

we managed to destroy 40 regiment and 6 HQ
that's better than we done last turns

you can see the lone rail line supplying the front
another one is going through Gomel

[larryfulkerson]

New moves from Patrick and this is the front lines up north on T24 and my defending forward has slowed down the Axis advance a lot and with any luck at all I just might be able to hold what I've got, maybe a little less. I've been railing fresh units to the front lines to take up the position of a man that's fallen. Losses have been horrific....I'll post something about that. As you can see from the air losses meter in the bottom left of this image that my planes are still falling out of the sky. At least I'm making a dent in the Axis air force. I'm making more fighters than he is so I'm pretty sure I can afford the losses. There's been a lot of Axis furballs since I've deployed the aircraft to the action. Whole squadrons evaporating and then showing up about 4 or 5 turns later at Gorky near the Urals. Most of the new aircraft squadrons are "untried" and low on supply. So I usually rest them until they get above 50% readiness and then fling them into the battle. I'm going through a lot of pilots and that's because of the very low hours of training these guys have. Some of them have just gotten out of flight school and you really feel guilty about sending them out into the carnage. Most pilots last about two missions. So if they fly a third mission you can usually quit worrying about them. They have what it takes to survive.