Directive 21 ( FITE mod w/ Soviet PO )

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the Soviet losses so far:

[larryfulkerson]

And here's the Axis losses so far:

[larryfulkerson]

Not much is changing very fast so I've done all the turns up to 25 and here's the front lines as they are now: [ I find that the supply problems hampers my attacking. I have to continually send units back to better supply hexes to "fuel up" in order to use them on the front line later. I don't think the railroad repair dudes are fixing RR lines as fast as the separate RR dudes in FITE do but I can work with it. All in all things are way behind schedule as I am only just now sneaking up on Leningrad. ]

[sPzAbt653]

Sorry to sneak in on your AAR, but I thought for comparison purposes this screen shot should be close to yours.

I looked at my end of turn 25 save and we are close to each other. I stopped at the Luga as that was my intention, and from there south we are close or you are up to ten hexes ahead of me. None of my guys are hardly out of the green, so it is possible to have a reasonably paced advance with decent supply levels. I will admit two things, I go out of my way to make it like this, and I also know that the supply situation is tough (having run through this several times). The scenario briefing does say 'The initial advance and first winter period will cause a general collapse of the Axis supply system'.

I'll flip over to the playtesters thread later to post some more info.

Thanks Mr. Fulkerson!

[larryfulkerson]

Here's a turn 26 Leningrad screenshot. This is BEFORE I started moving anybody in turn 26. Nice to hear that a game can be played very simular by two different people. I'd be curious to hear from other playtesters to see if the same progress was made by them. Cool.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the entire front lines at the beginning of turn 29. I haven't moved anybody yet in this shot.

[OTZ]

Since you asked...I have progressed fairly well I believe. I am on turn 17, and have scored a significant victory. I have penetrated the defensive zone around Leningrad with zee Germans, while the Fins are progressing a little slower than I would like.

On the Moscow front - well, I am about 5 heaxes from the burbs, with not much in my way. Soviet losses have been nothing short of catastrophic (albeit my German losses at turn 17 are about on par with your losses on your current turn).

The south is almost void of Russian units. After taking Kiev, there doesn't apepar to be much left. I should be able to take Stalingrad if all goes well.

I think I have gotten lucky, and I doubt I'd be able to recreate my success in another game. I have pushed my troops at every turn - rarely resting them (with the exception of a rotating group of Panzer Divs).

I particularly enjoy the unpredicatbale nature of the AI, and I am constantly surprised by the emergence of bypassed units...seemingly out of the blue...

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: OTZ
I particularly enjoy the unpredicatbale nature of the AI, and I am constantly surprised by the emergence of bypassed units...seemingly out of the blue...

Good news about your game and the progress you have made and I too agree with the tenacity and seemingly out of the blue-ness of the bypassed units appearing at will. At least three times now I've had to go back to deal with Soviet units that seemed to have spawned there or something. I'm in the habit of converting all the hexes I can reach now. Just in case.

[larryfulkerson]

It seems that I have captured Bryansk. Now all I need to do is hold onto it for the duration of the Soviet turn.

[larryfulkerson]

It seems that in turn 32 I'm sneaking up on Kharkov:

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the front lines as of Axis turn 41. Progress toward the east is slower than a regular FITE game since the Soviets are throwing themselves in my face everywhere I go and I have to battle my way to the east. I'm trying to get some surrounds going so I can destroy a lot of these Soviet units. Problemo is that they will just respawn and I'll have to fight them again about six or seven turns later.

[larryfulkerson]

I pasted together a larger version of the front lines as of early turn 43 that you can download from this URL:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/nl2n45nhj ... ly T43.GIF

It's about 1.52MB big and includes everything from Leningrad to Sevastapol. Enjoy.

[SMK-at-work]

A while back Larry asked how people were going with the game - I've been playing it for a couple of months now (thanks Larry! ) & am up to T24 - I'm really enjoying playing the Germans - I played the Sov's a lot vs Zort testing his mods a couple of years back.

Comments - as with the others I've found hte PO does a reasonable job - it tries to make stands at logical positions & has done a few good counter attacks.

But it's stil just a PO, and pretty easy meat - my Brandenburgers are all over hte place cutting rail lines up to 20 hexes ahead of any other troops - there really needs to be some mechanism to require them to be recalled :/

I've broken into the Crimea without bother with the Romanians & Italians, taken Kharkov, Bryansk, Murmansk and 1 hex of Leningrad (with the Finns - the Germans are only a hex away - 1 German division auto-retreated a HQ all the way through to hte Finns - it's own HQ is still in German lines).  There's plenty of troops around Moscow so it's not going to fall soon, but Brandenburgers have been as far ahead as Rostov in the south.

As with Larry I've often had to take units out of hte line back to better supply hexes for a turn or 2, but for hte most part there's never been a "front line" per se - there have always been units scattered in depth moping up Sov's or pushing hard forward.  I try not to lead with units in "red".....but orange units are often at point.

I've managed to get a few Pz divisions up to dark green between Bryansk & Vyazma & am starting a drive on Tula with them.  New units (Blue Div, etc) are heading south for the drive on stalingrad.

So loving the game - but I've been very aggressive & it looks like I'm well ahead of there Larry was about T25 - I'll try to post some shots later - time to make lunch for the kids now

[larryfulkerson]

Pictures........pictures.  We wanna see pictures.

[sPzAbt653]

my Brandenburgers are all over hte place cutting rail lines up to 20 hexes ahead of any other troops - there really needs to be some mechanism to require them to be recalled

I've been doing the same thing, it doesn't seem quite fair to Elmer. Four thoughts I've had : either remove them from the scenario (that's no fun), give them 0 trucks which reduces their full movement from 31 to 16, combine them into one 'regiment' so there can only be three of them if broken down, or at some point remove them from the scenario to be reorganised as part of the Brandenburg Division (which I think didn't fight on the East Front but appeared in the Balkans sometime in 1944). Any other thoughts?

[SMK-at-work]

As you command master!!

These are with 40% of T24 left to go.

From the North - Leningrad - I've highlighted the Finns who have broken across the Svir River to the north, the Soviet build up to the east of Leningrad (which is all weak and in the red and no threat atm), and the Bautruppen.......

[SMK-at-work]

Moscow & Vyazma - my forward forces along the Moscow road are pretty exhausted so am stopping here for the time being - a couple of Sov divisions counter attacked here, cutting roads between the lead forces and vyazma but they were quickly disposed of.

[SMK-at-work]

Bryansk - the highlighted Pz Corps is just south of the previous pic of the Moscow front. Orel is held by 2 companies of Brandenburgers......

[SMK-at-work]

Kharkov - just highlighted the main cities to make it easier to orient where it is.

[SMK-at-work]

And last but by no means least, southern Ukrain & Crimea - shouldn't need to highlight much here - Romanians broke through Perekop 2 turns ago on a 1 hex frontage & expanded it last turn - they lost 1 inf division that unexpectedly disintegrated & their supply isn't the greatest, but there's not a lot opposing them at the moment & the forces at the other isthmus will be surrounded & destroyed.

1st & 3rd (?) Rom armies (the biggest & smallest ones) are on the left - the other one is on the right.

Oh and notice the Romanian rail engineers just next to Perekop.