Towards the edge of destruction with hooooper and Blubel

[hooooper_slith]

Turn 28

So an extremely boring counterstroke is under way. In the north, we push high morale brigades forward to make contact with the enemy. The aim is to increase Axis attrition losses (for being next to an enemy counter) while minimising mine.

[hooooper_slith]

At Kaluga, Rokossovsky's Kalinin Front prepares to assault the city, which is defended by a well dug-in German division. To ensure that everything is neat and tidy in readiness for the attack, I have asked 500 men to empty the bins.

[hooooper_slith]

In the centre, the same arm's length tactic is employed. It's not really that heroic, but as I said earlier I fear ignominious defeat by the winter of 42, so the name of the game is growing the red army. Of course the problem with this approach is that I won't make guards units or raise the morale of my troops through victory. But, too bad: come June 42 I'd much rather have a decent line, some dug in units holding rear river lines and three or four reserve armies.

[hooooper_slith]

The south, where I am permitting myself to attack. My opponent, perhaps overestimating my strength, gives up Stalino without a fight. Where possible we are attacking the Romanians to minimise casualties. Here I have enough troops to rotate armies when they become exhausted and lose combat effectiveness. The North Caucusus Front, which was more or less eliminated to a man, springs back to life through the assignment of First Shock Army. Other newly raised armies retake the Crimea without a fight, although I intend to do my fighting at the narrowest neck of land - the Kerch peninsula is it called?

[hooooper_slith]

Finally, the OOB figures, which are still my main concern. At least the Soviet artillery park is showing signs of rapid growth.

Soviet German Difference
Men 4249 2820 1429
Artillery 43.7 29.5 14.2
Tanks 3615 1851 1764
Planes 9263 2763 6500

[Scook_99]

Are you referring to the northern part of the Crimea, or the east, as where to fight? The eastern port is Kerch, and that is the straits. The northern section is the Isthmus of Perekop. Again, I agree with your assessment, and would willingly give up guards in 1942 for a sizable army. I find it strange to give up Stalino without a fight, and I generally fortify and fight the hardest in the south in winter. Maybe I don't play to win enough, of maybe I am prejudiced with the slashing attacks across the Steppes, but I like to stay as far forward as possible. I find the easiest way to knock Germany out is to go the the south, removing Romania and Hungary and putting pressure to extend the German line of troops down south quite a bit. So, if I hold a bigger buffer in 1943 in the south, the easier it is to get a draw or a win as Axis, in my opinion.

As far as the German divisions go, they will have a shell put on the western map, and they sit there for 4 turns before you are allowed to move them. They will cap at 80 morale, and will suck up replacements that would normally head east into units. He lost them soon enough to most likely get all 4 back up to 80 morale. And, if he uses the winter before the summer for morale building exercises, they should all be between 80 and 85 morale when June of 1942 rolls around.

[randallw]

That estimate of American divisions being around 20k is too high; it was about 12-13k for airborne, and 13-15 for infantry and armored.

[hooooper_slith]

I think I read somewhere that there were a few overstrength US infantry divisions at the beginning of D-Day that might have been as big as that.

Turn 30

Two more turns of respite and the Red Army begins to look a little healthier.

[hooooper_slith]

In the centre, Kaluga has fallen and the line in front of Tula is looking much more defensible.

[hooooper_slith]

In the south, the offensive unrolls gently westwards, and the men in furry mittens are now half way to D&Z.

[hooooper_slith]

However, although the Soviets seem strong on the map, the OOB tells a different story. My slight consolation is that the Germans are also short of men.

[hooooper_slith]

Armament points produced has passed the 2m mark.

[hooooper_slith]

Losses. Mine are notably lighter than in my parallel game with Bomazz, reflecting the lusty multifront offensive I undertook in that game.

[hooooper_slith]

Finally, here is the destoyed unit screen.

[hooooper_slith]

Turn 34

The blizzard "offensive" comes to a halt in the north. Nothing I can do up here for a couple of years or so.

[hooooper_slith]

Nothing doing in front of Moscow.

[hooooper_slith]

In the centre, the Soviet defenses are beginning to thicken.

[hooooper_slith]

And in the south-centre the river lines are being defended in good time for the summer. If I didn't know already, the importance of a good river line is presently being demonstrated in my game with Bomazz.

[hooooper_slith]

In the south, we have made reasonable progress and are closing in on the lower Dneiper.

[hooooper_slith]

And here is the OOB.