Fall Grau 2.28 Jeremy (Axis) vs. Ben (Allies)

[Jeremy Mac Donald]

Phew yeah turns out its pretty difficult to find time to get on my computer now

After the second encirclement of the Allies in the North West I attack along every axis of advance diluting my assault. This was a gamble that no longer worked because here, finally, Ben was really able to find enough units to block all of them

I don't think I had materially more units than in previous engagements, the difference was that;
1) I fell back quite a distance here, rather than trying to keep your advance to a minimum as I did after the first debacle
2) The terrain I fell back on was quite ferocious, so that it was difficult or impossible for your different drives to support one another and
3) I concentrated my own strength, defeating these drives in detail rather than trying to maintain a continuous strong line

I think 2) is really the critical one here. In fact the question is why, once you reach Cheyenne from where the Wyoming plain opens up in all directions, did I attempt to defend so far forward? I put this down to inertia but most of all hubris. Once I had that first successful offensive into Nebraska, I kept thinking that the Axis were on their last legs and were about to collapse, whereas actually you were just getting your second wind.

I think this is true if one is talking about the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Though even here the quality of the force you deploy to make this defence is a lot better after the second fiasco where you have brought up large numbers of the American Army and a fair number of the really good Allied Armoured Divisions while after the first Fiasco you used primarily National Guard Divisions.

However it is really in the aftermath of this - the part you describe as concentrating first against one thrust and then another that we see the difference as those concentrations are not made with the initial defenders who are mainly in the same places they where when you threw up your new defensive line. Its more reinforcements you have been dispatching this way.

See your turn 71 for a picture of the defence after the first Fiasco. Turn 76 you show your ad hoc defencive line after falling back. Turn 83 The spaces between the separate defensive lines are filled in and you are pushing me back.