A tale of three cities (hooooper vs Bomazz)

[hooooper_slith]

OOB

[hugh04]

The success of the Soviet blizzard offensive in the south is truly impressive. That said, a German panzerball driving from Kharkov to Rostov could win the war for the Axis. I see the sea of azov as a gigantic trap against which to pin the Bear. A front line east of the Mius river is fraught with risk in 42. Good luck.

Vandev

[hooooper_slith]

I'm aware of the danger ... but there's also a chance of trapping much of Army Group South before then. It's a devilish dilemma.

[Kronolog]

ORIGINAL: hooooper

I'm aware of the danger ... but there's also a chance of trapping much of Army Group South before then. It's a devilish dilemma.

Depending on the size of the pocket, both in terms of units and area, he could potentially move in an airbase, put every bomber and transport in the Luftwaffe on transport duty, and hold out for long enough to gather a relief force.

[Scook_99]

hooooper, I am glad you are in this kind of game, not the usual min/max games, and this kind of game is what is closer to what really could occur in historical terms than say, running away and vacating territory. Then tension is very palpable and has you thinking of the future, and not knowing what to expect. This one will run for quite a while. Oh, and that tension you feel, that's the psychological part. It's amazing when playing face to face how many people can't handle pressure. When we used to play board games with other people, we weren't on the same side more than twice in ten years, as psychologically, the 'other' side had already lost in their heads. The best battle to win is the one you don't have to fight.

I salute you! Enjoy this one to the bitter end.

Oh yeah, I like to see how the Romanian OOB manpower report is about half of what it should be. You are schwacking them hard!

[hooooper_slith]

Yes, I hadn't thought of that; that could be a disaster. I'm beginning to think it's just too risky to go for the Kharkov pocket in the time remaining, but the blizzard continues until T37, so I have a little time yet.

[hooooper_slith]

Yes, it's been a tense struggle right from the start. If it was chess, it would be a sharp game. I think I scored a moral victory at Moscow, but I suspect I'm going to suffer a moral defeat at Kharkov. But, and I really can't stress this enough, I do hope to avoid an actual defeat, the kind that might lose the Southern Front. [:D]

I do feel I've taught the Romanians a lesson, but I'm not as sure as Pelton is about how much that actually affects the strategic balance of power.

[Scook_99]

More or less, it's a later game usage of the the Romanians. If you need more CV to hold a spot, one German unit thrown in with two Romanians can do the job rather well. There is also garrisoning, along with fort building. The little things don't seem like much, but it's easier to get the Russian Steamroller up and running with the summation of little problems put together. It's like in late 1942 into 1943, you will throw the Italians in the way to be speed bumps knowing they will be gone mid 1943; better they take the hits than your good units. Additionally, I like to keep the Hungarians up and running as long as possible, and it's a lot easier if they aren't being attacked, and that's easier the longer the Romanians are around. So the culmination of your efforts will pay off.....down the road.

If it were me...I would bang out as much as possible in the south through January, think of it as morale building activities (trusting your comrades to catch you as you fall backwards into the snow, group activities like shooting Romanians in the head, that sort of thing), and then pull back to continue their training and reduce casualties to increase your army size. Kharkov to Leningrad there looks to be no rest for either side in this one.

Edit: Congratulations! Just noticed you reduced Romania to 0 AFVs! Have not seen that before this early in a game.

[hooooper_slith]

Heh heh, yes the Rumanians have been hung out to dry; I don't expect they'll ever recover. So you would begin falling back at the beginning of February? Wouldn't you be at all curious to find out if you could pull off a big encirclement at Nikolaev or Kharkov? I'm assuming that I can pull back at fairly short notice, on account of the wrecked rail lines in the south. Reconnaissance will be fairly important towards the end of the blizzard.

[hooooper_slith]

Turn 32

Leningrad after Soviet moves. We make more minimal progress to our goal (the line shows the front line before Soviet moves)

[hooooper_slith]

Moscow, the Soviet counter attack has now stalled and the front goes over to the defensive, apart from local actions.

[hooooper_slith]

Tula: the Red Army arrives in the eastern outskirts of the city

[hooooper_slith]

Kharkov. The lower pincer makes progress, isolating three German regiments in the process.

[hooooper_slith]

South. The rout continues ....

[hooooper_slith]

So, we would like to take Leningrad back, but probably won't before the snow begins. We are gathering our forces for an attempt to storm Vyshny Volochek. The Moscow sector goes on the defensive and begins preparing fortifications in case the Germans renew their 1941 offensive. At Tula, heavy fighting is continuing, but it's indecisive at the moment. At Kharkov, the exciting push to end the war in February 1941 continues, but I suspect this will not happen. In this respect we are following Stalin's 1942 counter offensive, which chased overambitious objectives with wholly inadequate forces. Still, the morale gains will be handy. In the south I see no reason to shut down the offensive against the Romanians yet, although we won't be attempting to hold the ground we're winning. On the Nikolaev sector, the Caucus Front armies begin to curl around the flanks of the German forces defending the eastern approaches to the city.

My overall assessment, as with my game with Blubel (who seems to be of a very similar strength to Bomazz), is that it's there are equal chances to both sides. On the whole I expect not to able to snuff out the German offensive and go over to the attack myself in July: the Red Army is just too thin. I am counting on gaining weight quickly in the mud turns and building up the three or four reserve armies that are needed by June, but I not completely sure I'll be able to do that.

In a way this makes for a better game. One of the huge questions in this stage of the real war was working out which sector the enemy would attack,and usually WiTE doesn't mimic that nerve wracking business terrible well. I think this game might be an exception....

[Peltonx]

He be attacking.

I would hold Leningrad and take Moscow then roll the south.

I dont think hes going to have that hard of a time if he sets things up right. SHC is very weak.

GHC will lose allot grinding around Moscow, but once thats done the south will be easy.

Be and interesting summer.

[HITMAN202]

But Pelton, he's got such an incredible buffer zone AGS. Hooooper can give up so much terrain. That's worth a lot of troops

[hooooper_slith]

Gerald, I have an opening as a motivational speaker in the Krivoi Rog area. Would you be interested in that at all?

[Scook_99]

I like the Hitman attitude, but Kharkov to Rostov-na-Danu is not that far to go. Strategically, getting the Donetz Basin up to the Don River is very plausible. Getting up near Stalingrad will make this a tough game indeed, especially with what he has to do in the north to make the south more than a dream.

This is good stuff, two armies, nations, ideologies taken to the brink, and only one can score. Time to cue up the musical opening from Cross of Iron, or Flight of the Valkyrie, depending on how you think this will turn out.

[Peltonx]

Space and manpower.

Don basin is worth 2X, (hmm more then that) Moscow and with the added space its over, if he knows how to defend.

He should and I am guessing will stay pocketing units until spring 43.

The south is pocket heaven in 42.

His 41 sets up 42. really like it but it would never work vs someone like Flaviusx,TDV and MT. They defend north to south.

I would expect to see 30 cv in front row near moscow at this time. Doesn't look good, but mybee Hoooper can save it.