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ORIGINAL: Taxman66

I'd be tempted to move the 2 Siberians to kill the German armor in Smolensk, if it weren't for the Bf110c. It would be 17:2 instead of 17:4 (too bad there isn't an I16 in range it'd actually be at an advantage). Russia would retake the city, probably without causilties and a good chance of staying organized.

On a different topic, irregardless of the high strat-bombing rolls, those American Bolos and the big NAV would be better off guarding against the axis subs/navy and not Strat bombing. By the way, where is the Langley, Ranger and the rest of the Atlantic fleet. With the Germany fleet mostly in the repair yard the euro axis fleet should be cowering.

The NAV could have gone out to the North Atlantic to try to flush out the German SUBs, but I didn't want to risk them getting lucky and killing more convoys. It isn't needed anywhere else. The Germans and Italians haven't got anything left to throw at the pipelines this turn.

The Atlantic fleet has no CV at this time. There are only 6 on the map, and they are in the Pacific, with a good chunk heading for India. It's early in the game, and I haven't even put the Langley on the table yet. But don't worry, the Americans got a bump of 25 BP this turn, from 31 to 56.

At best, I expect 1 more Axis impulse this turn, so I'm going to try to kill some more Soviets on low odds attacks . . . and the ART/MIL combo in the south. I really wanted to take the 4:1 +2 shot at the stack I retreated last impulse, to break through into the Crimea, but the chance to get rid of that ART and gain another hex across the river was just too much. Besides, the Soviets could probably reduce it to a 3:1 attack. Might as well take the sure thing. If I get another impulse, maybe I'll make that attack. So, here is what else I have planned . . .

Both attacks up in the North are likely to be Blitz attacks, but for different reasons.

The swamp attack is an attempt to stop playing tag with this INF all of next turn. But he wants to play tag, retreating just enough to be a pain each time, so he's going to try to survive this attack. Therefore, he'll choose a Blitz combat.

The Siberians, on the other hand, offer too much risk of killing off German units, so the Germans will take the Blitz and hope for the best. With luck, I'll be able to kill one of these off. If I do, Rommel can reorganize enough units to make it worthwhile . . . if they Germans do get another impulse, the can try to kill the other one, too.

So, here are the attacks:



And the results:

Attack on USSR [56, 59]: Blitz, Fractional Odds .034 (Yes), Roll = Automatic = */2B (Breakthrough)
Attack on USSR [43, 57]: Blitz, Fractional Odds .092 (Yes), Roll = 2 = 1/1 (8-3 INF and 5-4 Siberian destroyed, attackers disorganized)
Attack on USSR [39, 56]: Blitz, Fractional Odds .573 (No), Roll = 3 = 1/1 (5-4 INF and 5-3 INF destroyed, attackers disorganized)

I didn't want to use Ground Support on the forest hex, because it would have to come from the TB-3, and I may need that to reorganize units next impulse. It also wouldn't really reduce the odds by much, as there would still be a good chance of a 3:1 attack. German luck seemed to be holding with the Fractional Odds roll, but then that 8-3 INF got caught in the crossfire . . . at least he took a Siberian with him. That was the goal, after all.

In the swamp hex, I just needed a good roll. I didn't get it, but again I killed off the enemy. It cost the life of one of Finland's bravest Corps, but it was a sacrifice he was required to make. I guess the odds are catching up to the German army at last. On the plus side of things, since the units were going to be disorganized anyway, there was no reason not to enter the hex after the attack.

ORIGINAL: Red Prince

ORIGINAL: Taxman66

I'd be tempted to move the 2 Siberians to kill the German armor in Smolensk, if it weren't for the Bf110c. It would be 17:2 instead of 17:4 (too bad there isn't an I16 in range it'd actually be at an advantage). Russia would retake the city, probably without causilties and a good chance of staying organized.

On a different topic, irregardless of the high strat-bombing rolls, those American Bolos and the big NAV would be better off guarding against the axis subs/navy and not Strat bombing. By the way, where is the Langley, Ranger and the rest of the Atlantic fleet. With the Germany fleet mostly in the repair yard the euro axis fleet should be cowering.

The NAV could have gone out to the North Atlantic to try to flush out the German SUBs, but I didn't want to risk them getting lucky and killing more convoys. It isn't needed anywhere else. The Germans and Italians haven't got anything left to throw at the pipelines this turn.

The Atlantic fleet has no CV at this time. There are only 6 on the map, and they are in the Pacific, with a good chunk heading for India. It's early in the game, and I haven't even put the Langley on the table yet. But don't worry, the Americans got a bump of 25 BP this turn, from 31 to 56.

Thats just it, though. The allies have the long term economic advantage, however they can't afford to just fritter it away on side shows. The Mariner did 1 PP to Germany. If it (or a bolo) had been sitting in the 0 box you would've saved more $ in lost convoy points by burning up 4 surprise points. You could've flown it into the 1 box so that it would be in the 0 box the next turn. Even if Germany is going to take a land, it shouldn't be surprising to see Italy take combine to take another shot at the convoys anyway. Heck I would've flown one plane to 1 box and 1 to the 0 box to cover them for the rest of the turn.

The Germans rebased some air units into better positions, and then Rommel spent his reorganization points on the best 3 units in the area. It wasn't a wasted effort, since the turn didn't end . . .

. . . but it probably won't do much good, because the weather has finally broken, and it's raining up there in the Arctic at the start of Impulse #11:

ORIGINAL: Taxman66

ORIGINAL: Red Prince

ORIGINAL: Taxman66

I'd be tempted to move the 2 Siberians to kill the German armor in Smolensk, if it weren't for the Bf110c. It would be 17:2 instead of 17:4 (too bad there isn't an I16 in range it'd actually be at an advantage). Russia would retake the city, probably without causilties and a good chance of staying organized.

On a different topic, irregardless of the high strat-bombing rolls, those American Bolos and the big NAV would be better off guarding against the axis subs/navy and not Strat bombing. By the way, where is the Langley, Ranger and the rest of the Atlantic fleet. With the Germany fleet mostly in the repair yard the euro axis fleet should be cowering.

The NAV could have gone out to the North Atlantic to try to flush out the German SUBs, but I didn't want to risk them getting lucky and killing more convoys. It isn't needed anywhere else. The Germans and Italians haven't got anything left to throw at the pipelines this turn.

The Atlantic fleet has no CV at this time. There are only 6 on the map, and they are in the Pacific, with a good chunk heading for India. It's early in the game, and I haven't even put the Langley on the table yet. But don't worry, the Americans got a bump of 25 BP this turn, from 31 to 56.

Thats just it, though. The allies have the long term economic advantage, however they can't afford to just fritter it away on side shows. The Mariner did 1 PP to Germany. If it (or a bolo) had been sitting in the 0 box you would've saved more $ in lost convoy points by burning up 4 surprise points. You could've flown it into the 1 box so that it would be in the 0 box the next turn. Even if Germany is going to take a land, it shouldn't be surprising to see Italy take combine to take another shot at the convoys anyway. Heck I would've flown one plane to 1 box and 1 to the 0 box to cover them for the rest of the turn.

Well, at the time the Germans and Italians attacked, these planes were not within range of the North Atlantic. Even if they were, the results would have been similar. Instead of 11 convoys destroyed, it would have been 8 (assuming the use of 4 Surprise Points to select the combat type . . . the Axis had 10 Surprise Points to spend.

And, if I flew them there now, the Germans could take a chance as the non-phasing side. If I don't fly them there now, the Germans can't do that. Also, the Italians have too much to do on land right now to take a Combined action. Or, at least, they did (and I think they still do). At this point in the turn, I need to try to get it to end.

I'm tired and hungry, so I'm just going to give you an overview of each front for the time being. Later this evening I might try to put together the standard screenshots, but the Soviet lines are exactly how Steve described them (minus 4 dead units), and you can probably figure out which Germans are still active.

The North:

The South:

And Persia:

Now that the Germans have started to take some losses, I was curious to see how the war was going for each side this turn. Here's what has been destroyed so far this turn:

I ment on the impulse(s) that they (the Bolos and the Mariner) were used to Strat bomb. But what is done is done, I hope the CW was able to supply all her factories.

The Russians need to pull back/shift northwards in the north, transfer another unit from the southern line to the northern line, and pull back in the far south.

A sacrificial corps for the Dnep. city and some units in Stalino should hold the line for another impulse. What you really want is to get to the next turn so the 2 disorganized corps in the forest can be reorganized during the end of the turn.

By giving up Dnep. you should be able to free up the desperately needed unit for the north without weakening the center of the Dnieper line noticeably.

The real danger lies in the turn ending and the Germans moving first next turn. That would leave the defense in front of Moscow looking very silly. There simply isn't very much you can do about that. All those clear hexes between Smolensk and Moscow are a real bitch to defend in.

If there is yet another Mil lingering in the Urals, you might want to send him to Kalinin. If there are 2, then the other goes to Tula. Yeremenko has to pull back 2 hexes due east. He could then move into Moscow in the next impulse and be used to reorganize units - if the turn just keeps on going.

Pray might be useful for the Russians.

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

The Russians need to pull back/shift northwards in the north, transfer another unit from the southern line to the northern line, and pull back in the far south.

A sacrificial corps for the Dnep. city and some units in Stalino should hold the line for another impulse. What you really want is to get to the next turn so the 2 disorganized corps in the forest can be reorganized during the end of the turn.

By giving up Dnep. you should be able to free up the desperately needed unit for the north without weakening the center of the Dnieper line noticeably.

The real danger lies in the turn ending and the Germans moving first next turn. That would leave the defense in front of Moscow looking very silly. There simply isn't very much you can do about that. All those clear hexes between Smolensk and Moscow are a real bitch to defend in.

If there is yet another Mil lingering in the Urals, you might want to send him to Kalinin. If there are 2, then the other goes to Tula. Yeremenko has to pull back 2 hexes due east. He could then move into Moscow in the next impulse and be used to reorganize units - if the turn just keeps on going.

Pray might be useful for the Russians.

Well, the Russians have the weather in their favor this impulse, at least. The Germans probably can't put together an attack in the North.

If I can do it, I'll try to make it the Kharkov MIL that goes into Dnep (or stays there), so that he'll come back right up front. I think that one is a 5-2 or a 5-3, so it's not going to be able to get very far away anyway, and it will still require a strong force to take the city. Unfotunately, there aren't any MIL left in the Urals. The last one, the 2-3 from Saratov railed to Kerch last impulse to keep the Germans from crossing the straits if they made an attack and got through in Crimea.

I don't like to weaken the Persian front, but if I can do it I'll move the 5-3 white print MIL from Tabriz over o the hex with the 7-3, shift that INF to take the place of Zhukov, and put him on the rail line or in Tabriz if he can reach it. That way, if the turn doesn't end, and if the Germans also don't see the turn end, I can use my rail moves to swap him with Timoshenko and still have an 80% chance to end the turn at that point. The Persian front is strong enough now to hold, I think, and most of the frontline factories have already been railed out, so I can skip an impulse safely.
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Edit: I should add that while you can't see it, the Gorki MIL is in Moscow under the LND, so it isn't completely dead up there.

Trying to move units north, I railed the Kalinin factory out this impulse and then railed the 6-3 INF from Dnep to Kalinin to hold that city with the Gorki MIL.

The MECH stack split, with the MECH joining the Siberian that was attacked last impulse. He's replaced in the forest hex by the Kiev MIL, but the move disorganized the unit. Still, Germany can't get good odds with the Rain . . . 1:1 at best, I think, and the units they'd have to use are not ones Germany wants to die.

The last move to try to fix this line was the OOS MECH from the forest hex in the river bend at the southeast end of the Pripet Marshes moving to Gomel. The Germans can't reach this unit in force next impulse, and the 2nd TB-3 can reorganize him in case the weather clears and the turn continues.

In the south, it was a little more difficult to settle on a defensive position. The Rostov MIL had to move up to Stalino in order to make it a 9-factor stack. The best the Germans can do is bring 20 factors to the attack there.

The Kharkov MIL is strong enough that it will force the Germans to use 3 strong units from the west and northwest, and 2 units from across the river in the southeast to take Dnepropetrovsk. The Germans could make a stronger attack on Dnep, but that would mean trying the 20:9 attack on Stalino instead of heading into the Crimea. That attack is 35:9 +2 and it is dangerous for the Soviets to provide Ground Support there. Stalino can be supported without fear of German interception. So, the Kharkov MIL gets to be the sacrifice, and it might get lucky and hold the city. If not, it can be rebuilt and brought back next turn only 3 hexes from its current position.

The rest of the line is built around trying to maintain a supply path to the disorganized units in the forest hex, and to provide flexibility by moving the MECH to the center. I left the river bend hex open because the only way for the Germans to take it is to disorganize the 5-4 INF and leave it isolated, which means it won't get reorganized at the end of the turn. The German line is now stretched pretty thin, so this isn't likely to happen.

In Persia, Zhukov couldn't reach Tabriz, so I decided to put him in the forest hex on the rail line instead of the mountain hex. This provides Ground Strike cover, but it forced me to bring the CAV back fromt he end of the line to help cover Tabriz. The overall line is nearly as solid, and now Zhukov can swap positions with Timoshenko if there is another Allied impulse this turn.

Nice.

[Or was it Genoa?[;)]]

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

Nice.

[Or was it Genoa?[;)]]

I think it was Marseilles, actually. [:D]

I don't like that out-of-supply Red Army stack at the north end of the Ukraine line. One lucky groundstrike on the corps and the Germans move an HQ to put that sector fully in supply and they're across the river in the north, too.

Problem is, I don't see much as can be done about it right now.