The thank you morvael mild blizzard AAR-Toidi welcome

[rmonical]

Toidi continues his careful surgery on the Soviet army pocketing 20 units (about 120K troops) with unbreakable pockets despite my significant forces in the area. He is through the fort line in this area.

The front to the north is stable - makes a few infantry attacks. One concern is Moscow - he is only a few hexes away.

Recommendations welcome.

[rmonical]

Along the lower Don, Toidi failed to exploit of the open terrain to exploit a breakthrough. He is clearly focusing on killing units and may open up more as the Soviet troop count declines. He is pushing an infantry attack where his flank is protected.

[M60A3TTS]

It's hard to make recommendations based on a couple smaller screenshots. In the south you have to be prepared to run for the mountains of the Caucasus and defend Stalingrad to the east. In the Tambov-Voronezh region, you seem to have a mishmash of units from five or six fronts and military districts.

I would normally get rid of most airborne HQs and consolidate the brigades under an Army HQ. It saves some trucks in the end by doing so. Are those rifle corps being built to do something in particular? It's dangerous to have them in relatively open terrain that the Axis player will push his panzers through and surround those guys.

[rmonical]

It's hard to make recommendations based on a couple smaller screenshots.

Thanks. I am really flying blind - game mechanics verses historical realism.
The north is fairly stable. I used my 400AP to put the rifle corps up here and keep the front stable.

[rmonical]

Things are messy at Voronezh where he has concentrated the mobile force. He moved his mobile forces from south of Rostov north to vicinity Voronezh.

[rmonical]

Supply stores have dropped from almost 600K over the last few turns. Soviets will drop below 6 million manpower compared to 3.8 million for the Germans. German tank strength is 2700 and 2000 operational.

[M60A3TTS]

Normally I recommend keeping your cav and tank corps together in STAVKA armies during the summer of 1942 at least. That way you have the flexibility to move say four cav corps together without worrying about slower rifle units having to accompany. In your case by spreading them out among front armies, you're positioned to defend against a wider frontal attack. That seldom is how the Axis does things and instead focuses the attacks in the panzer armies. My standing procedure now is to load 1st Shock Army with four cav corps and a top notch infantry leader.

From what can now be seen on the map, the units south of Boguchar that form the semi circle to the west won't be able to stay long, lest he roll down your flank. Between Tambov and Boguchar you'll need to fall back a little. Keep him in front of you as best you can. Also you may think about moving those forces around Satatov-Engels forward a little. If he gets there and cuts the north-south rail line, you're going to have no ready way to shuttle troops in those two directions.

[rmonical]

My standing procedure now is to load 1st Shock Army with four cav corps and a top notch infantry leader.

I'm almost there with two gds cav corps and Tolbukhin in 1st Shock Army. It is sitting in reserve on the rail. I can get it rearranged and moved somewhere more useful next turn. What exactly do I do with it? As nearly as I can tell, it's a speed bump.

[M60A3TTS]

Yes, it has to have help. So 2nd, 3rd and 4th Shock Armies get two tank and two cavalry corps or just 2 tank corps and you can add 2 mech corps later in the Fall, but that depends on your style. Mech corps are huge truck eaters. Then you add a couple tank armies with a pair of tank corps each and you have the makings of a mobile reserve.

You don't want them too close to the front where he can swallow them up in a breakthrough. Cav corps maybe 10 hexes from the front and tank corps 15 or so. In any case you won't be able to counter him right away until he loses some of his strength through attrition.

[hfarrish]

ORIGINAL: rmonical

It's hard to make recommendations based on a couple smaller screenshots.

Thanks. I am really flying blind - game mechanics verses historical realism.
The north is fairly stable. I used my 400AP to put the rifle corps up here and keep the front stable.

One thing I notice is that you seem to have huge quantities of units where he isn't making a serious effort - in particular I am thinking the Oka South to Tambov, and also north of the Neri. Meanwhile there is very little opposing an obvious panzer ball NW of Boguchar. You want to have your carpet laid think in front of those panzers, its the only thing that can really stop him.

[Peltonx]

He is using the good standard GHC tactics for 1942. A panzer ball that bites off small pieces of the front.

You are not going to stop it, but must grind down the panzer thrusts. You should be counter attacking allot, every single chance you can. In 1942 losing is winning for SHC, yes that's right because the combat ratio's are not as bad as 1941.
So losing is winning for SHC in 42. If your strong in the north counter attack up there as much as you possible can.
The killer for SHC is the AP crunch, the killer for GHC is any loses even ones when they win. The faster you can inflict loses the quicker the lines stabilize.

1942 after the FZ fix patch is really very fun and historical, it of course plays off the summer of 1941 and blizzard. With the new blizzard rule set it gives the GHC side a chance to slow the building ( slow down the snowball) of Red 2.0


SHC defense should always be based on north to south which your doing. You can hold the lines north of Oka, but to the south you have to better your counter attacking skills. I have played allot of games into 42 and all were great fun-blow and counter blow.
You are not going to stop GHC all at once, its done over the summer.
From my exp if GHC can pick off SHC units until October or longer then a draw is likely, but if SHC can grind down GHC OOB sooner they are likely to get a win.
If GHC digs in and does nothing during 42 he will lose vs a skilled SHC player.

Game looks very historical.

The best SHC defenses had a row of junk in the front, then checker board of high defense units in 2 and 3rd lines ( between strong points smaller CV units) with a strong mobile reserve behind that.
I would NOT waste AP building Rifle Corp you simply don't need them ( possibly 12 around rifle Moscow at the most )

That's why Moscow is the key to the game which it should be, you lose Moscow in 41 and the GHC will most likely win in 42 using SD rule's or the Alt 260 rules.

[Gabriel B.]

ORIGINAL: hfarrish

Meanwhile there is very little opposing an obvious panzer ball NW of Boguchar. You want to have your carpet laid think in front of those panzers, its the only thing that can really stop him.

or not [:D]

but what is worst that can happen...?

[rmonical]

Some more color on how we got to this situation.

[rmonical]

but what is worst that can happen...?

This?

[rmonical]

T60: After a holiday break and a turn of mud, Toidi continues his dissection of the Soviet army. His comment is apropos: "In my opinion, using chess analogy, most of your pieces are in the quite wrong places on the chessboard." And echoes several other comments.

With the mud turn out of the way, 9 weeks of summer and 7 weeks of guaranteed clear weather in the North, I suspect Moscow will fall (again).

[Bozo_the_Clown]

Wow, Toidi is a really good player. He just doesn't leave anything to chance. Those pockets are unbreakable.

[M60A3TTS]

I'll echo a comment I made in Tom Hunter's thread. Your cav corps are too close to the front. Keep them at least 8-10 hexes away from the front lines. Otherwise they are just pocket bait. On the tank SU builds, I used to do it then discarded the idea of them altogether. You need diggers in 1942, and that is what sappers do. Build up your defenses. It isn't until 1943 you normally get on the offensive. Also, once you disband all those tank units, their built up experience gets lost. The sappers that built up your defenses in 1942 as experienced units then become useful breaking fort lines in 43. And many of them get to guards status over time.

[rmonical]

T61: Another week, another well executed pocket. The strengths an pools status are as show. I have 191 sapper units of which 157 are regiments. I'm building tank units because I have tanks and limited manpower. If I could wind the clock back I would have built tank corps instead of rifle corps.

[Tom Hunter]

Thanks for posting this, its very interesting especially in comparison with the other AARs that are getting a lot of attention.

[rmonical]

To no one's great surprise, Moscow is surrounded with significant forces inside the pocket. As I was making my move, I realized that prior blunders had made it impossible for me to execute even a token defense. I should have abandoned Moscow at that point, but I could not bring myself to do it and another batch of quality divisions marches off to slave labor and the death camps.

If Toidi chooses to continue, I will hitherto be more aggressive about retreating out of harm's way in order to try for a draw. I have been moving industry (again!) so I have stuff if not folks.