Workshop for the new guys - Barbarossa 41

[larryfulkerson]

I like everything about this potential attack except the predicted losses: heavy. I'm thinking about maybe adding
one more attacking unit even though it'll make the combat round count increase a little bit, I think.

[larryfulkerson]

So I added one more attacker and now it says the losses will be moderate and I can live with that.

[larryfulkerson]

My goal in this area is Minsk so I've been moving units in that direction blocking Soviet formations where necessary
and my armour unit went on an armed-recon mission and found another substantial stack of Soviet equipment. So the
situation has changed again. Now I need some troops to move SE.

[larryfulkerson]

I'm thinking I'll leave a skeleton staff on the west edge and move everybody else to the corridor I have made by
clearing the road. I'll get some troops on the east side of the Soviet group and surround them all.

[larryfulkerson]

I did this one for me so I could imagine the road beneath the Soviet units better. I want that road system but I
don't want to pay a high price for it. So I think I'll surround them first, starve 'em out a bit and THEN kill 'em.

[larryfulkerson]

I'm finding several weak spots in the Soviet lines and I think I can force most of them. I'm going to try to
infiltrate some units into and perhaps through the Soviet lines and see if I can't generate some holes. I
like to make holes because then there's the possibility of a bulge.

[larryfulkerson]

The um.....target didn't want to RBC so I have to attack it. The Combat Planner suggests that I add the two tank units
and since this picture was made they have been added to the attack as well. That spot is key for the rail and road
that passes through that hex and so I need it. The target isn't all that much relatively speaking and I think it's
worth the losses, if there are any, to have that hex now rather than later.

[larryfulkerson]

I've been moving units and the situation has changed again. The Panzers are on their way and the follow up forces are
moving and I'm aiming for Minsk and the roads and rails.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the overall game plan. To infiltrate around the Soviets, surround thenm, and then destroy them. As many as
possible. Everything I kill now is going to respawn in about 4 turns and I'll have to fight them again. So I'm
trying to kill them as fast as I can to stay ahead of the curve. He's building them and I'm killing them and the
level he has on hand would be information I'd like to have.

[larryfulkerson]

Okay I've moved about a dozen units and things are going well. I've been studying the terrain and looking for fast
moving lanes and I'm aiming to clear the roads and rails heading southeast.

[larryfulkerson]

Okay, I've moved another dozen or so units and I'm picking up more new Soviet units but I think I'm dealing with all
those I find. Pending attacks are mounting. I'm going to review all the battles before they are executed to
eliminate the outlayers. I'm planning on the first combat phase to cost perhaps two rounds of the first turn.

[larryfulkerson]

So there I was moving units and then I ran across the Army Group Center. I'm thinking I could really use all those
MP's and security units combing through the marsh hexes looking for lurkers and converting the hexes. There's not
a whole lot they can do that would be useful right now.

[larryfulkerson]

I've been moving units and pushing and shoving and the face of the battlefield is changing. I'm infiltrating his
lines through weak spots and surrounding and destroying them. Goals are being achieved slowly.

[larryfulkerson]

It's 02:55 here in tucson az so that means it's almost 10:00 in london right now. Just a couple
more hours until TOAW4 is released.

[larryfulkerson]

And now I've come to a siege unit that can't move without losing it's 240mm guns. The guns go back to the pools when
the unit is moved and so while it has no guns it's vulnerable and useless. I can't much use it for recon because it
can't defend itself. I can use it for a garrison I guess. I've been known to disband units I don't need. There may
be a house rule against disbanding units in other scenarios but not this one.

[larryfulkerson]

Okay I went to move the unit and I was presented with a dialog: did I want to lose the 12 fixed guns in order to move
the unit and I answered yes, I did. So after the unit moved I'm taking a look at it and I see where those 240mm guns
were just lost, they didn't end up in the pools like I thought. I was wrong. D'oh. I just lost some guns that I'll
probably never use in this game. So now that little unit is good only for clearing hexes in the backfield and maybe
garrison somewhere. I'll have to deal with it the rest of the game in terms of whether or not to move it and where to
and it's such a useless unit I'm thinking of disbanding it and getting rid of it.

[larryfulkerson]

Okay, I've moved about thirty more units and there's a lot of pending attacks up and down the front lines now. Most
especially in the south in this area ( in the image ). I'm expecting a lot of changes with the combat results.

[larryfulkerson]

And the next formation to move is the ones in reserve mode still. I've learned that in this scenario in turn one the
Hungarians, Rumanians, and Finns are still in garrison mode and can't move nor shoot. So it's time to review the
battles and weed out those outlayers and execute the rest of them.

[larryfulkerson]

Frequently, after a furball one or more of the fighters will convert to rest for some reason. I've never figured
out why they do that but they do so a quick of the fighters before we pull the trigger reveals that one of my
fighters is on rest status and I quickly change it back to AS.

[larryfulkerson]

Okay, now I'm moving the planes and there's a new airfield I've got access to now but the adjacent enemy arty unit gives
me pause. Elmer is known for doing airfield attacks via land or air and if I flew my fighters to the new airfield I'll
bet he would be struck and I don't need any needless losses just now.