AGN Turn 1 moves

[CharonJr]

Just any damage at all is needed at the port to open up the sealane to Riga.

[PeeDeeAitch]

While I don't normally advocate tanks attacking cities towns, I think the payoffs on turn 1 of taking Riga far outweigh the negatives. Just the ability to jumpstart the AGN assault, clearing the Dvina with all the mobil units on a broad front, gives far more options to the German player.
 
Yes, there will be fewer destroyed units in order to take Riga, but in the North I believe that trade off for a rapid advance is important.  Upsetting a timetable for defense can mean more units bagged later in more hasty defenses.

[Powloon]

Here is my AGN move. My first campaign game (challenging level) so go easy .

Manged to sea transport 2/3 of XXVI Corps to Riga from memel on turn 1. With Kerresare port damged to 11% it looks like the Gulf of Riga is open. Intending to use XXXI Panzer Corps up the coast and sieze the ports (Parnu and Tallinn) hopefully keeping in supply from these ports. I have stacked L Corps in Memel and hopefully can sea transport them to Parnu next turn in support. Does anyone know how much sea lift capacity you get per turn? Moving the 2 divisions and head quarters of XXVI Corps pretty much used my transport allowance. Could the Soviet air force close Riga port?

Captured the ports of Ventspils and Liepaja to prevent the Sovs slipping away and got my armour across the Dugava and pocketed most of the units I faced. Anything I missed?

[Ridgeway]

This is my latest thinking on AGN. I send LVII from PG3 to Dvinsk, and it will drive from there to Velikie Luki.

All of the armor from XXXIX and LVI PZ Corps are across the river (although I messed up and left XXXIX HQ exposed).

I prefer to sealift in XXXVIII Corps, L Corps and a couple of security divisions, and have I Corps and XXVI Corps walk and fight.

I had an interesting thought on FBD4 -- would it make sense to have him walk (or get sealifted) to Riga, and start converting the rails from there toward Pskov? I am not sure if I see the point in linking Germany with Riga, since Riga is its own supply source (as long as you keep bombing Kuressare or capture it). If I did that, I would probably sent FBD3 to Kaunus (like normal) and then send him North and then East to Dvinsk (rather than though Vilnius, so as to take advantage of as much Baltic rail as possible).

[PeeDeeAitch]

I have had a few "Oops" HQ placements in my time...

[Ridgeway]

ORIGINAL: Ridgeway

This is my latest thinking on AGN. I send LVII from PG3 to Dvinsk, and it will drive from there to Velikie Luki.

All of the armor from XXXIX and LVI PZ Corps are across the river (although I messed up and left XXXIX HQ exposed).

I prefer to sealift in XXXVIII Corps, L Corps and a couple of security divisions, and have I Corps and XXVI Corps walk and fight.

I had an interesting thought on FBD4 -- would it make sense to have him walk (or get sealifted) to Riga, and start converting the rails from there toward Pskov? I am not sure if I see the point in linking Germany with Riga, since Riga is its own supply source (as long as you keep bombing Kuressare or capture it). If I did that, I would probably sent FBD3 to Kaunus (like normal) and then send him North and then East to Dvinsk (rather than though Vilnius, so as to take advantage of as much Baltic rail as possible).

There a bunch of typos in my map -- that should be XXXXI Pz Corps by Riga, and XXXVIII Corps being sealifted on T2.

[Ketza]

Is that pocket weak near Utena?

[Ridgeway]

ORIGINAL: Ketza

Is that pocket weak near Utena?

I haven't tested it, but it should hold. It is not clear in the picture but woods E and SE are all Axis control, so it is a long walk for that Inf Div (I think) in Svencioneliai.

If it does not hold, it is not a big deal -- that pocket is a bonus, and I think it is more important to get all the mech divs over the Dvina. Even if it is breached, I don't think it is escapable, because II Corps from 16A is heading up that path toward Dvinsk in T2.

I am running this one hotseat against myself, so I will see what can be done.

[Ketza]

I like your post. Several good ideas concerning the naval movement. Nicely done.

[Mynok]

I suspect that Talinn is in the ZOC of Leningrad and is unavailable for supply or sea lift.

Just checked my game which is well along (Turn 14) and Talinn can be sealifted to. The caveat is that there are no remaining Soviet ports on the north coast of the Baltics or approaching Leningrad.

[Ridgeway]

ORIGINAL: Ketza

I like your post. Several good ideas concerning the naval movement. Nicely done.

Thanks.

I checked the potential weakness at Utena, and it cannot be breached (I don't think). The Inf Division in Sven.....whatever can only get to the tree-line (see picture below).

One issue with this move is that it weakens the northern flank of the Minsk/Bialystock pocket. I addressed this by sending one reinforced MOT division from 47th PzK north to tighten up the Bialystock portion of the pocket where most of the units are. He is the guy E of Scuchin. The units E of him were able to break the pocket, but I think they will be re-isolated on T2 and then destroyed as the Inf Corps advance. The units W of him are in deep borscht.

[Aussiematto]

Adding to the suggested first moves, with the intention of pocketing, rather than getting Riga (since if you pocket right you probably won't need to fight for Riga...)

Start by clearing the frontier using rear units, to maximise MP at the front (eg use 101st RHG, XXIII rd Corps, L Corps). Then use the two infantry divisions from 4th PzG to rout back all the forces around the Dubysa river; Xth Corps does this too. The goal is to rout them, then pocket them.

A few key units

291st Inf (XXVI Corps) has the most MP and closest to Liepaja (port). It can reach 46,38 with 6 MP giving it a deliebrate attack to take the port, plus can deal with NKVD regiment.

36th Mot(XXXXI Pz) can slide between the routed units to take all of the other western baltic ports. It ends up in 49,32 and hasty attacks the Fort Region in Ventspils. Exactly how it gets there depends on where Russian units have routed to.

3rd Mot(LVI Pz) (ATTACH 1 pioneer) goes sliding past routed units to 62,43 to dispose of the airborne brigade. If you are lucky, you can rout it (this leaves 3rd Mot with sufficient Mps to get south eventually into 64,43 and link up with 3rd PZGroup forces. 6th Pz (XXXXI Pz) follows to get across the river at 65,42 and then rout the airborne.

Other units simply seal off the pockets.

Now, in doing this... I played it out and got an interesting retreat result. There were no Soviet routs towards the ports. Therefore, I didn't bother to take them out, using 36th Mot. to cover Riga. You can see the result -- it freed up another unit in 3rd Pz - (14th Mot) which normally I use in the North.

[Aussiematto]

Sorry

I forgot to add -- I've not done all the other moves in that screenshot -- just enough to show the armour moves. Attached to this post is the picture where I have cleared the ports - as a result, one more armour unit from 3rd Pz gets sent north.

Interestingly, to achieve this result I had to rout the routed units in Jelgava 57,43. I have done this before from a Sth westerly direction and they go back towards leningrad. But from a West or Nor west direction they rout back into the pockets to the south, thus enabling me to close off the pocket nicely and still capture /destroy them in T2. I've noticed similar things in the Bialystok pocket -- I have to go read the manual to see if this can be predicted but it has something to do with the location of HQ units...

[Ridgeway]

ORIGINAL: majeloz

Sorry

I forgot to add -- I've not done all the other moves in that screenshot -- just enough to show the armour moves. Attached to this post is the picture where I have cleared the ports - as a result, one more armour unit from 3rd Pz gets sent north.

Interestingly, to achieve this result I had to rout the routed units in Jelgava 57,43. I have done this before from a Sth westerly direction and they go back towards leningrad. But from a West or Nor west direction they rout back into the pockets to the south, thus enabling me to close off the pocket nicely and still capture /destroy them in T2. I've noticed similar things in the Bialystok pocket -- I have to go read the manual to see if this can be predicted but it has something to do with the location of HQ units...

I don't think I see the point in not taking Riga on T1. A hatsy attack with 2 PzDivs from XXXXI PzCorps works pretty much every time. There are two big benefits: (1) you can sealift in infantry on T1 (and Riga may be a supply source on T2), and there (2) there is no opportunity to reinforce Riga. I have found cracking Riga on T2 to be more difficult than on T1. One minor bonus is that you can blow up the AF that was on the E bank of the Dvina.

I do not see any real downsides to doing this, because the PzDivs get across the Dvina on T2 (which you want) and are on their way to Pskov T2. Also, I do not see that any pockets are materially lessened.