Once more into the Breech with D21

[larryfulkerson]

Here's a report on the unit itself.

[larryfulkerson]

I have pulled the 1st Panzer Division out of the front lines so they can rest. The mud
season is approaching and I'd like to straighten up the front lines, break the units
down into pieces, make the Panzer Divisions the local reserve for their areas and pull
back into better defensive terrain where necessary, and generally get ready for the
Soviet attacks. I would consider attacking locally if the situation arrises.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the front lines in T31 before I have moved anybody.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the northern front lines right now. I'm inching closer to Leningrad and I've made some progress to the south
a bit. But the progress is a hex at a time and hard won.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the area to the east of Bryansk and the supply situation is really low and
each attack has to be saved up for in terms of supply remaining. So far it's been
working out but the mud season is going to gut my supply and LOC's and I'll have to
give up some of the territory I've gained already. I needed to straighten out the
front lines anyway. I've started breaking the units down into pieces to get enough
units to stand the front lines and have local reserves and everything. I can't
imagine getting through the winter without reserves. There's going to be breaks in
the lines that will need people to plug them. I have to have those troops ready at
a moments notice.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's an artillery observer team operating to the NW of Stalino up near the front
lines giving directions to an artillery unit further in the rear. This particular
team has been working together for a couple of days now and they are getting good
at their jobs. The weather hasn't been cooperating however, and the cold and winds
sometimes spoil the trajectory of the shells.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's Stalino right now. I'm confident that I'll have enough troops to form a rough front line here before too long.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what's happening in the Crimea right now. The Rumanians are coming in really handy for operations so far.

[larryfulkerson]

Okay, it's official......the mud season has started. I'll publish another post when anything changes.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the front lines in T32 before I have moved anybody.

[larryfulkerson]

The Rasputiza doesn't mean a cease fire evidently because I just now tested a unit and
it's able to attack enemy units. I'll have to redo all my plans now. It's about time
to break down the units I'm going to form a proper front line with and leave the reserve
units whole. This fighting a war without reserves isn't working for me.

[larryfulkerson]

One effect of the Rasputiza is the collapse of the supply system and this is what
happens when that occurs. I've got to conserve my supply if I'm going to hold the
same positions and not move to better supply areas.

I've got the fighters on AS missions as usual but all the rest of the planes are
resting rght now.

[TPOO]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

The Rasputiza doesn't mean a cease fire evidently because I just now tested a unit and
it's able to attack enemy units. I'll have to redo all my plans now. It's about time
to break down the units I'm going to form a proper front line with and leave the reserve
units whole. This fighting a war without reserves isn't working for me.

Yes with the new events that Ralph put in for TOAW4 a cease fire is not necessary anymore for mud seasons. The Germans actually with poor supply did gain some territory during the mud season, not much but some. It is critical to have the rail repaired through Smolensk by this time to support Army Group Center or its chances of getting to Moscow before Winter will collapse.

[larryfulkerson]

It is critical to have the rail repaired through Smolensk by this time to support Army Group Center or its chances of getting to Moscow before Winter will collapse.

The railhead is already past Smolensk which is the good news. The bad news is that it took a lot of the RR engr's to
make it so and as a result the south has been doing without. I'm going to have to shift some of the RR engrs to the
south and pretty quickly now.

[larryfulkerson]

The supply net has collapsed all over all the fronts. Nobody has enough to fire or
move. I've been setting out all the turns since T32 to conserve supply and nobody
has had to move to better supply areas yet but some of the units are hurting. I've
lost a couple or three hexes to Soviet attacks but for the most part the front lines
are the same as T32.

This is the view in the Crimea right now. Nobody is moving and the Soviets are
taking pot shots at my units every once in a while.

[TPOO]

Where do you have the 11th Army. You are going to need them in the Crimea to take Sevastopol. The Romanians are not strong enough by themselves.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: TPOO
Where do you have the 11th Army. You are going to need them in the Crimea to take Sevastopol. The Romanians are not strong enough by themselves.

I'll see if I can't round them up and drive them down there. I'd rather rail them down there but there's no direct
connection yet.

[larryfulkerson]

I'm guessing I've found the 11th Army and it has three corps and I'll drive 'em down to Sevastopol.

[larryfulkerson]

I believe the 76th Infantry Division is part of the 11th Army and it's totally
committed already to holding back the Soviet hordes on the front lines. They
would need to be replaced at the front by somebody else to move to Sevastopol.
I have a sneaky susepishion that the rest of the 11th Army elements are going
to be already employed also. It may be really tricky getting some people to
move to Sevastopol.

[larryfulkerson]

I stopped the Soviet side to get some idea of the Soviet losses so far: