Grand Campaign 1941 - JC vs JP

[caliJP]

T7 Leningrad sector: another bad surprise, I thought it would take the German a turn to clean up the pocket before the next onslaught, but no, they clean it up and launch a brand new attack in the same turn! They cross the Luga and reach the Gulf of Finland coast, pocketing the western part of my defense. It is clear I under-defended this sector, and Leningrad is likely to fall early. I line up some of the brand new shell units along the Volkhov river to prepare the next line of defense for after the fall of Leningrad, which I know is not too far off.

[caliJP]

T7 North: considering what is happening in the Leningrad sector and Smolensk region, my line along the Lovat river was too far west, and also I have no units available to reinforce it. So I send everyone to the Valdai Hills, and leave a few speed bumps in good defense terrain in front of that.

[caliJP]

T7 Center: the German Panzer/Infantry balls continue marching east, and also pocket a few units. Still, I am fairly happy that my defense in depth seems to be preventing a major pocket or breakthrough. I even manage to throw some Panzers back across the river in one spot, pretty proud of that! [;)] I line up some newly arrived shell units along the Vyazma / Bolva river line. This will serve as a fallback defense line later on.

[caliJP]

T7 South: the German close the pocket again, and this time, I can kiss my units bye-bye! I would say looking back though, I am at T7 and the Germans haven’t reached the Dnepr yet in this sector, so in terms of geography, I put up a nice defense in the south. But it cost me a lot of pocketed units…. I start lining up some shell units along the Vorskla river, this will be a fallback line loosely lined-up with D+Z towns when the Germans cross the Dnepr, which I know I can’t prevent forever.

[caliJP]

T7 Odessa sector: Germans and Romanians keep marching east, swallowing up some of my speed bumps. I line up a few shells along the Ingulets river which I plan to use as a stop line before D+Z, and since I am doing comparatively well in front of Kiev, I sent an army of the SW front to start building a stop line southeast of Nikolaev. This is good marsh + river defensive terrain, so I’d like to get some forts in there early….

[caliJP]

T8 Leningrad sector: the pocket made on T7 is cleared by the Germans. The Nazis also capture Novgorod. I create a few 3-stacks in swamps and mountain hexes to try to slow down the advance.

[caliJP]

T8 North: the Germans continue slow progress eastwards

[caliJP]

T8 Center: once again I am shocked by how far the German panzers can go in one turn, even going across a river and a 4-unit thick defense in depth.... Anyway, the Nazis make a huge pocket and my 1=1 ants cannot open it. After the first 4 or 5 turns, I find all that is left on the soviet side are 1=1 ants that are barely a speed bump in open terrain. It is becoming almost impossible for the soviets to counterattack with only ants.

[caliJP]

T8 South: the Germans make another pocket in this sector. From T7/8 until mud, really the only things that can stop the Germans is terrain and logistics. The only thing Soviet units can do in open terrain is soak up MPs with their ZOC, and then get run over. I am starting to have a half decent line along the Dnepr. Kiev is still Russian, which warms my heart [:)]

[caliJP]

T8 Odessa sector: I did not try to defend Odessa strongly, just leaving s security unit there. I find that having so few units already, there was no point in sacrificing more. I prefer to have a stronger line further east.

[caliJP]

T9 Leningrad: even 3-stacks in swamps can’t stop a german panzerball at this point in the game… Leningrad is surrounded by a short & quick right hook. I build up my Volkov line with whatever units I can gather.

[caliJP]

T9 North: the Germans reach the Valdai hills, but in typical fashion with just enough scattered units to hold the line. I do the same when I play as German…

[caliJP]

T9 Center: the Smolensk pocket is cleared and the Panzers continue their march east. My opponent rested his panzers quite a bit between T4 and T6, and that is paying off for him as his attacks have been relentless for three turns now since then and show no sign of slowing down.

[caliJP]

T9 South: the Germans clear the Cherkassy pocket and move to the Dnepr right bank along most of the front. Kiev is surrounded on three sides. Another pocket is made at Kirovograd, but I am able to counterattack and break it at multiple points. Some Panzers cross the Dnepr just east of Cherkassy, but I am able to counter-attack and throw them back on the other side. Pretty happy about that! My line along the Ingulets River is likely to see action soon…

[caliJP]

further south...

[caliJP]

T10 Leningrad sector: the Germans move into Leningrad, which is sure to fall pretty soon, and the Finns flip hexes in Carelia.

[caliJP]

T10 North: even tucked in the Valdai Hills, the soviet ants shatter from a single German unit hasty attack. They are really only useful for their ZOC, nothing else.

[caliJP]

T10 Center: after 3 turns of non-stop attacking, the German panzers seem to be slowing down a bit, maybe low on fuel. A small pocket is made around Vyazma, but I am able to break it open.

[caliJP]

T10 South: surprisingly, Kiev is still Russian! All the way to T10! The Germans cross the Dnepr again east of Cherkassy, I counterattack and am able to push them back some, but a 3-stack of Panzers and Motorized Infantry proves too much to push. I know that from that bridgehead, the Germans can turn North and turn my whole Kiev/Dnepr defense line, as I have done it before playing as German. So I decide to retreat most of my units to avoid being pocketed, and leave some stragglers which will require some time for the Germans to clean up. The Psel River will be my next defense line, however it is wasn’t prepared in advance, so it may not hold very long.

[caliJP]

T10: Further south the Germans close the Kirovograd pocket again. In order no to be turned from the North, I move my line from the Ingul to the Ingulets River, anchored on the Dnepr at it’s southern end.