Matrix Games Forums

Voronezh AO

I continue a slow withdrawal. Because I want to keep the hinge in the north intact (the blue 11=18 panzer stack) I do a limited withdrawal with some sacrificial forces in front to absorb deliberate attacks while the rest of the line behind them dig.

The crucial hinge south of my stop line that I protected by committing a Pz Corps in a spoiling attack on the last turn of snow is under no pressure at all.

Stalino AO:

Here I counter attack with infantry where I can (blue bolts). This should ensure that he will not have the strength here to have another go at level 2 forts.

The 1st Mountain (highlighted in black) has successfully held the gap in the line and can now dig while reinforcements thicken the line.

Overview of the South with I Corps visible en-trained.

Manpower steadily growing, waiting for better weather or rail to be closer to the front

Overview of my air doctrine settings.

The encircled ones (which are the only important ones really) are maybe still too high considering the amount of combat and bombing taking place during soviet turn.

If anyone can give some good benchmarks re. air doctrine for when the soviet player is extensively bombing, I'd appreciate it.

Turn 29, New Years Day 1942. The Landsers that are not suffering from crippling frost bite can rest easy, the Soviet offensive seems to have been successfully checked, with the only activity at the Crimean and at Voronezh.

And yes, truck levels are becoming worrisome. All I can do is withdraw most of the Luftwaffe that is still there, including excess recon, and not move where possible.

The offensive at Tula looks to be cancelled, or the Soviets at least taking a breather.

Between Voronezh I only observe some shifting of forces. Wherever enemy mobile forces are moved to the front they are attacked, preferably with infantry only.

With the arrival of the New Year, we start utilizing Hiwis and T-34's

Ground losses after the end of 1941

Air after the 1941 operations:

OOB

VP

Turn 30

All quiet on the Eastern Front

Except of course at the Crimea:

STAVKA expanded their break out even more without the follow up forces to back it up.

With reinforcements in place, including the undefeated Wiking, I decide to launch my own blizzard operation to threaten the Army north of the Perekop isthmus. One small LW corps was moved here as well to provide air cover, with 1 Jagdgruppe and 1 He-111 group.

Also, just for some psychological warfare, I decide to sacrifice some trucks and panzers to attack the strongest units in the Red Army and rout 2nd Guards Rifle. This is done by units in the sector that was falling back. This should make it clear where the primacy lies this winter.

Turn 31

Only Soviet activity is at Voronezh. I decide to execute some counter attacks and stand fast. Even if I am forced to withdraw one more time, the hinges will stay intact, so I am not fussed either way.

The operation at the Perekop isthmus is a success and Zhukov's Army is now eingekesselt.

I can only imagine that STAVKA didn't think an operation by the Germans outside forts during first blizzard possible, as realistically, that break out should not have even tried to expand when reinforcements arrived. But I'll take this gift, it makes up for having to expose my best units to blizzard attrition for a few turns.

Overview of captured equipment. We now have 3 full strength Bn.'s pf T-34's in the field.
Also, I decide to use this quiet period to reorganise the Army structure a little bit and replace Jodl with Reinhardt as commander of 3rd Panzer Army.

More turns later, off to watch more episodes of Soviet Storm; great Russian produced series of WW2 history.

The Crimea is not a good place to launch Soviet offensives from. The supply situation is just not up to the level it needs to be to support sustained ops. This is not something new either.

Fast forward to turn 36, one more turn of blizzard after this: In the last 6 turns of blizaard nothing really happens. Only things worth noting:

- I am suffering on trucks
- Darbymcd is sacrificing a lot of bombers with a sustained bombing campaign, most heavily in the Voronezh area where I also have a metric ton of 88mm FlAK, and 2 Corps worth of fighters stationed.
-I should mention that I forgot to state in my first post that we agreed to tactical para drops being allowed to create or relieve pockets.
- Zhukov's army caught north of Perekop is easily destroyed
- I use 2 HQBU during blizzard to break into the Crimea as with that Army destroyed this seemed the best time to try. Model was used for this and it barely succeeded.
- I plan 3 limited offensives for the 1 month of Snow in March:

North:

Targets are Yaroslav and/or Ivanovo. Mansteins Pz Corps is assigned to this operation. A North/South rail loop is present here, directly behind the front.