Unternehmen Taifun Memoirs, by HardLuckYetAgain (Stelteck is welcome too)

[HardLuckYetAgain]

Here is the "box" of operations I'm talking about for up to turn 7. you will notice a great deal of "very" nice terrain for the soviets. A Honey pot if you will to draw them too. That is where the Germans want them. You will also notice a great deal of very nice open areas too

Just a note that the terrain NW of Vitebsk is key to this strategy. I had (1) Soviet actually put a couple of units in here that made my work a bit tedious. Other than that most Soviets didnt bother much of anything in this key area. Instead the Pskov area was almost always stacked full of units. The next slide shows my typical setup NW of Vitebsk

[HardLuckYetAgain]

NW Vitebsk units. Basically the units sit and fuel up waiting for the infantry to catch up. At least that is what the Soviets are thinking (I think they are thinking it at least but I don't know for sure) since I'm really waiting for the Soviet new arrivals (reinforcements) to show up. I'm fishing if you will for more units ;-} Normally I move our turn 3 or 4 depending on my Recon of the battlefield.(If anyone has played me I recon like mad) One person I waited until turn 5 once and quickly found out that wasnt optimal.

[HardLuckYetAgain]

On turn 3 all pockets in the South are done (except for large Lvov pocket) and 2nd PZ Group heads for the rail network. Other units are heading there but not shown in the picture.

[HardLuckYetAgain]

Turn 4 2nd PZ group arrives in the north with refit on and turn 5 moves out since my rail network for the north is going through Pskov and it has to be clear. (notice that I "always" put my PZ's in woods)

[HardLuckYetAgain]

I almost always performed psychological warfare on my opponent when I started my drive towards Moscow. (That is if I didn't forget) I would make an Arrow with Recon pointing to what my objective was. How many of my opponents ever realized it I don't know but I always did an Arrow of different configurations pointing to my objective, "Moscow". Here are some.

[HardLuckYetAgain]

Here is another

[ericv]

Kudos for the system you developed. You did take some from Silly's opening I take it?

Anyway, in my view, you are just conforming what has been readily apparent for a time now: The overpowered germans can win in 1941 if handled properly. The skill of the soviet player is totally irrelevant in that respect. He can do absolutely nothing about it, but hope for a mistake on the german part.

And you have got a lot of room for mistakes. All your wins are in 1941 I learned from your various reactions the last months? In case of whatever eventuality, you will still have 1942 to mop up scattered resistance.

Still congrats on developing that system! Well Done.

[HardLuckYetAgain]

ORIGINAL: ericv

Kudos for the system you developed. You did take some from Silly's opening I take it?

Anyway, in my view, you are just conforming what has been readily apparent for a time now: The overpowered germans can win in 1941 if handled properly. The skill of the soviet player is totally irrelevant in that respect. He can do absolutely nothing about it, but hope for a mistake on the german part.

And you have got a lot of room for mistakes. All your wins are in 1941 I learned from your various reactions the last months? In case of whatever eventuality, you will still have 1942 to mop up scattered resistance.

Still congrats on developing that system! Well Done.

Thank you but it was not just me. It was all that have been involved in this game on how I came to my theory on the drive on Moscow. (which isnt a new idea just my take on how to do it) I can't speak for Sillyflower but he may have gotten the idea from MkTours for the opening. That is where I got my idea and I expanded on it. Here is the original link with MkTours opening. tm.asp?m=3487083

On your second statement I find to be pretty adequate based on my series of games that I started in March of 2016. A very well played German is "very" hard if not "extremely" difficult to handle. As another has said in the past the Soviet has to decide where to stand firm, which the Soviet can do in one area, and give ground in all the other areas. The Soviet has to realize what they can give up and what they must hold AND the amount of forces to commit to each front. So yes, the Soviets walk the blade of a knife against a really good German player the summer offense.

Can this drive on Moscow be countered? Sure this can be countered. That is the reason I have this up so others can see this strat and come up with a counter. I know what to do to counter it and I'm sure a great many others smarter than me can too.

Again I thank you for the complement but it is all of us in this community that contributed. As such I thank everyone for their contributions without that contribution this would not have been possible.

[sillyflower]

From my AAR vs Brian:

"In the South, the 'norm' seems to be to create a secure Lvov pocket and to try to pocket a few other units.

However, given the ability of my opponent, I thought something else was needed. I got the idea from a young OKH planning officer who called himself Major TDV -surely not his real name but his work showed great promise (see Brian G's AAR versus TDV)."

Sending all the 2PzG armour south does make it a lot more effective though [&o].

[HardLuckYetAgain]

Synopsis

Turn 4 - 6 would normally have Soviet surrounded in the middle of the box.

Turn 5-6 Following by one turn (or same turn if I'm running late) after the middle area Soviets getting surrounded the 2nd PZ group attacks around Pskov causing another encirclement.

These two events coupled with the 1st turns encirclement's lead to the collapse of the Soviet Army in the Center. With less units Moscow becomes easier to surround then take

Turn 7-11 is a foot race for 2nd PZ group along with the other PZ groups to cut off Leningrad. Leaving one PZ group to head south for Tula/Vorzenah

Normally Leningrad gets cut off during this time frame during turn 7-10 doing the right hook route to the east of Lake Ilmen


The last event normally brings on a surrender of my opponent with both Moscow and Leningrad in jeopardy.


Again, thank you all for reading and thank you to all the players I played. Please note that I was going to show some of the pockets in the middle but decided against it. Also not showing the pockets around Pskov for the same reason. I'm still considering a few snapshots of Moscow being surrounded but need to think more on it.

[HardLuckYetAgain]

Thank you everyone

[Stelteck]

You are going too fast with your propaganda, i'am still turn 4 in my accurate report of the situation [:D]

And we are only turn 8 IRL.

[HardLuckYetAgain]

ORIGINAL: Stelteck

You are going too fast with your propaganda, i'am still turn 4 in my accurate report of the situation [:D]

And we are only turn 8 IRL.

You are more than welcome to catch the readers up to turn 8 if you like. I'm finished with my memoir.

I can see by recon that you are pretty much "all in" in the north. So please catch the readers up on yours if you desire to continue with the AAR. By all means you don't have to.

[HardLuckYetAgain]

ORIGINAL: Stelteck

You are going too fast with your propaganda, i'am still turn 4 in my accurate report of the situation [:D]

And we are only turn 8 IRL.

Plus you now know where I'm going. You have the benifit of 20/20 eyesite

[EwaldvonKleist]

Thanks for explaining your tactics here, good out of the box approach. The psychological warfare idea with the arrows is excellent [:D]
A few questions:
1) What do you do with the two FBDs in the Center after you leave the baltic rail zone? Do they head either for Velikie or Smolensk to repair with max speed or do you split them up so you can do both with a little less speed?
2) For a considerable time you depend on one rail connection to supply AGN and AGC. Later there is only one line which supplies AGC because there no southern one through Brest. Did this ever cause problems with Partisans?
3) As there is no southern rail line in AGC, doesn't become closing the Prpyat Swamps and linking up with AGC become a problem? It should be hard to create a rail loop with AGS before blizzard?

[HardLuckYetAgain]

ORIGINAL: EwaldvonKleist

Thanks for explaining your tactics here, good out of the box approach. The psychological warfare idea with the arrows is excellent [:D]
A few questions:
1) What do you do with the two FBDs in the Center after you leave the baltic rail zone? Do they head either for Velikie or Smolensk to repair with max speed or do you split them up so you can do both with a little less speed?
2) For a considerable time you depend on one rail connection to supply AGN and AGC. Later there is only one line which supplies AGC because there no southern one through Brest. Did this ever cause problems with Partisans?
3) As there is no southern rail line in AGC, doesn't become closing the Prpyat Swamps and linking up with AGC become a problem? It should be hard to create a rail loop with AGS before blizzard?

1. Normally I split at the intersection in the swamp NW of Vitsebek. By turn 8 the 3 FBD's are in or next to the following cities; Pskov, Velikie Luki, and Vitebsk. If there are still a lot of Soviets near Rzhev I may double team the track through Velikie Luki for that extra hex converted because of swamp then turn back south with that FBD.

2. The rail lines can be linked up pretty quickly (highlighted in yellow on the slide) if you put some construction workers in the RHG HQ's. You then strategically place them on the map so they will convert those hexes. You can also move the Army HQ's closer to the front and they will also start to convert those hexes. But to be honest I never had a partisan attack in the north since I always have the required garrisons. Unless I absolutely had to have that unit.

3. My Southern rail will link up with the FBD going through Smolensk South. Should be right before winter hits, lol Again the South isnt my priority and the FBD in the south just goes to Poltava-Kharkov North to link up with the Smolensk FBD. Of course the course of the war in the South dictates where also so I keep an open mind down here and plan accordingly.


I hope this helps.

[HardLuckYetAgain]

Middle

Disclaimer "The marks on the map arent all correct per turn, I just drew it really quick to show the route I took"

[EwaldvonKleist]

It helps, thanks a lot Hardluck!

[Sammy5IsAlive]

In all of these games has anyone tried just abandoning the south very early on to concentrate on defending Moscow/Leningrad? Just using all of the rail capacity to move units to where they are needed in the North and leaving the industry in the South to its fate. Or do you think that would just be a defeatist move - perhaps avoiding a 10 turn blowout but guaranteeing defeat in 42 or at least stalemate from 43 onwards with the Russians holding out in a corner of the map but the Germans winning a big victory on points?

[bigbaba]

thanks for this unique guide. although i find your arrow trick creepy.[:D] i am sure more then one opponent needed new panties after opening the turn and seeing the big black arrow.