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Turn 24 (AI)

19. Januar 1942


My forces in Russia have suffered a lot. But I have good luck: some HQs were not hurt at all.
The AI has found the perfect timing to start its Winter Offensive.





Loosing Joensuu will not hurt me too much, but it would mean Soviet units in the back of Mannerheim.
Apparently I need to send at least a Finnish corps to the north. This takes pressure from Leningrad.





Obviously it was the right decision not to attack Wjasma.
Getting caught on open field with bad supply would have been very unhealthy.





Both sides suffer losses, esp. the Italian fighters.[/center][/font]

Great AAR, congratulations.

must admit the game is coming along in leaps and bounds and is good to see a very well done AAR on it progress

[font="Times New Roman"][center]Dear rjh1971,

thanks for your kind words.


Dear zakblood,

thank you. I am thinking about good old Hubert... how he must feel after three years of development, and now the game is almost ready.
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Turn 25

9. Februar 1942


The Russian Winter hit me quite hard. A lot of units lost two strength points, and this means in some cases the experience bar is gone. A lot of units need reinforcements, and this turn will only see limited actions in Russia.
In total, the damage is around 1.500 MPPs. This means no new Heavy Tank unit for the time being.

In Egypt, the Afrika Korps makes a big step ahead by conquering El Alamein.





Just two boats in the Norwegian Sea.
I need to increase this number.





I need every garrison unit I can get to subdue partisans.





I wonder what people in India will think about these pictures nowadays.





I send the Finnish V corps to the north. It won't stop the Soviets, but I need to delay their advance until I have conquered Leningrad.
This is why I decided to attack the city instead of refreshing Heeresgruppe Nord.
I hope for better weather next turn.





Most of my units are back to full strength, and I let the Soviets attack.
Esp. in Smolensk my defensive line behind the Dnepr works pretty well.





I have already started to de-entrench Rostow.
Next turn the city will be mine.





The same applies to Sewastopol: I need to reduce the entrenchment first.





A big point in Egypt!
Now Alexandria is very close.





Due to the Axis presence on the Krim peninsula, Turkey swings to the Axis.[/center][/font]

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Turn 26 (AI)

2. März 1942


More Soviet troops apear in the center.
So this will be the focus of the Soviet counterattack.





Every turn the Finnish garrison survives is a good turn.
But I think next turn the town will be lost.





Tanks, Mechanized, Infantry... the Soviets bring everything it needs for an attack.
Fortunately my troops are well supplied and in prepared defensive position.
Otherwise I would be in trouble.





Both sides suffer heavy losses, esp. my fighters.[/center][/font]

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Turn 27

23. März 1942


This turn is a big step ahead.
My forces capture Leningrad and Rostow.





Witebsk and Orscha are hit by partisans, and Smolensk is also down to Supply 3.





Another destroyer at the bottom of the sea.
I am pretty sure the Carrier Group will arrive soon.





There is just one problem: the southern part of Leningrad is totally destroyed (Supply Zero), and the Katjuscha in the northern part of the city survives at strength 1.
So I need to wait at least until Turn 39 before Narvik gets a railway connection to Berlin which it needs to repair the Kriegsmarine.
This is a bit too late for my plans, because in Autumn 1942 I will send it back to Germany anyway.





Due to the partisan activity, von Bock cannot provide Supply 10 anymore. So I need to move the 9. Armee a hex back to make sure it gets Supply 6. Smolensk will be back to Supply 6 in Turn 33.
But von Bock is still able to fight back.. two Soviet corps are decimated.

In the south, von Leeb forces two units to retreat. The Soviet Tank Group is down to Strength 1.





Rostow is captured by the 4. Armee.
I have moved the Luftwaffe to the southwest to support the attack on Sewastopol.





Good weather in Turn 29, and the fortress is gone.





The Empire is in trouble. I will take Alexandria in Turn 29, and maybe I can trap a certain part of the British forces.[/center][/font]

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Turn 28 (AI)

3. April 1942


I get am impression of what the Red Army can deliver in 1942.
And it does not too good from my perspective.





I can imagine that this single destroyer does the reconnaissance for a bigger Task Force.





This is the first town the AI has conquered.
For sure it will not be the last.





All enemy units are very well supplied and in good condition.
They will be harder to defeat than in previous versions.





I control Rostow, but it will be difficult to cross the Don or the Donets.
Apparently Hubert has given the AI new abilities.
It was a lucky decision to bring a lot of ground troops down here.
With just 6 or 7 German units I would be lost.

Good job, Hubert!





I need to clear up the battlefield.
It is essential to know what is in the gap.[/center][/font]

Let me add my thanks for this great AAR.

[font="Times New Roman"][center]Hi Ironclad!

Thanks for your kind words. I need to admit that usually battling the AI is not too exciting, but this time is is quite challenging.[/center][/font]

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Turn 29

14. April 1942


The AI is still conducting its counteroffensive against Army Group Center, and there is not much I can do about it. Army Group North is already low on personnel, and Army Group South is under pressure as well.
This means I cannot divert forces as needed, and I will use my tanks around Orel to crush the offensive. Maybe I can operate one or two corps from the south, but that's it.

And there is a second aspect I need to keep in mind: obviously the AI has stopped the British convoys to Murmansk. This means I can stop my raids in the Norwegian Sea and bring the Kriegsmarine home.
I will wait one more turn and decide what to do.





The longer I stay here, the higher the risk gets.
One or two carriers will seriously damage the Kriegsmarine.





A lot is happening in the north.
The last Soviet unit in the Baltic Sea is sunk, and I can send Z-20 back to Germany.
Also I control both parts of Leningrad, but it will take until Turn 39 to bring the supply back to 5 in both parts of the city.
My success in Leningrad allows me to send the Finnish troops to the north.

I will refresh there exhausted German units and conquer Wolchow and Tichwin.
This might take a few months, but I want a complete victory up here.





It would have been easy to destroy the Soviet HQ, but my forces were not able to reach it.
What a pity.





It took me a long time to decide what I am doing down here. Breaking through in the south of Rostow seems very difficult, and a single unit that crosses the river can be easily destroyed. And if I wait for a longer time, the Russians will dig in, and an attack gets even more difficult. So I decided to cross the Donets and attack the Soviets where I can deliver a maximum of damage. I will try to march to Kantemirovka and take the town.

I am not quite sure what I will do afterwards. This will depend on how fast the Romanians can take Kertsch.

Also I have moved the Luftwaffe back. The port of Taganrog has Supply 6, and so von Rundstedt can provide Supply 10.
In the next turn I will bring my air units back to full strength.
From their current position, they can reach Kertsch and Noworossiysk, the south of Rostow and the south of Kantemirowka, so they can help me were I need them.





The Romanians conquered Sewastopol.
They had help from the Luftwaffe.
Otherwise the siege would not have ended so quickly.





I decided to give priority to Alexandria.
The Malta effect hits me almost every turn, and I need good supply.
The port of Alexandria will help a lot.





Finally I have saved enough MPPs for my first Heavy Tank Group.
It will be ready in Oktober.





This will help a lot.
From now on I will get an extra 1% research for every technology.[/center][/font]

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Turn 30 (AI)

25. April 1942


This turn brings a real surprise: a massive tank attack on Belgorod.





I have no clue how many Soviet units were involved in this attack.
Recon necessary.





This attack hits me on my weakest point. Belgorod is occupied by the II. Armeekorps, and it had full entrenchment and is located behind a river. But the Soviets attacked it with brute force, and now the town is cut off from the railway net. I cannot even bring it back to full strength!

I will abandon Belgorod. And I need to bring a couple of units to Kharkov. But where shall I take them from?

And I have a second problem. All enemy units around Belgorod have good supply. The Tank Groups have 5 Actions Points and will be able to reach Sumy and Kursk, so I need to prevent this.

A tough nut to crack.





Although quite under pressure, the AI does a good job in Egypt.
I will take Cairo sooner or later, but it takes a lot of time and MPPs.[/center][/font]

The AI continues to fight on the ground much better than I would hope for and this is great. It will be interesting to see the ongoing updates to the naval AI. Hubert (and Bill) look to have done another outstanding effort here and I can't wait for the release.

Just an excellent AAR, thank you!

Thank you again for this AAR, I am following with great interest your strategic decisions and how the AI replies to them. May I ask what is the level of difficulty you have set for this specific game?
regards,
apec

[font="Times New Roman"][center]Hi Yohan!

Thanks for your kind words.
Indeed the AI has learned a lot.


Hi apec!

Thanks, you are welcome.
And here is my difficulty level:


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Hi HvS,
Thank you for the info. I thought you was playing on standard (average) settings and considering how well the AI recovered from the initial massive losses, and is actually starting pressing your lines, I feared that Barbarossa was a sort of mission impossible in SC3.
I am looking forward to see how this campaign evolves in 1942.

regards,

Hi HvS! Very nice replay. I can give you a comparison from a 1939 start on normal difficulty. In October 1941, I had the U.S.S.R. down to 38 units, and by the start of the 1942 offensive season (June), they had 89 units on the map. With your level of difficulty, I would surmise you will be facing about 105 units (based on the 20% increase in MPP). Good luck! May Providence favor the Bold.


edit: I will really be interested in seeing 1943 in the Eastern Front. That will prove "illuminating".

[font="Times New Roman"][center]Hi apec!

I play SC since 2003 or 2004, and for me it would not be challenging to play on intermediate. Usually I play at max. difficulty settings, but I leave the exp. bonus away. There is a reason for this: it would confuse me if I march into Russia and see experienced Soviet units there. But his is just a personal preference.
And you are right: the AI is strong, and it has well supplied units which is a big difference to previous versions. Usually matches against the AI are not really a challenge, but this time I have a couple of difficulties.
In previous Beta versions, the DAK was in Damascus in Autumn 1942, and I controlled Stalingrad and Moscow at the same time.. this does not work anymore.


Hi Scook_99!

Thank you very much. I just played Turn 31 (May 1942), and the Red Army has 110 units on the board. To compare this with your figures, we can also have a look on the losses of the Red Army which are at 112 units in my case. So when we count the ground combat units, the SU has around 95 and I have about 55 in Russia.
Of course there is a big difference to RL: I control Leningrad, and this will prove its weight in gold. As soon as the rail link is established, all Finnish and Norwegian resources will increase their production. And of course I am performing well in Egypt. This will make 1943 much easier for me.. the UK will suffer a lot from the loss of Egypt and the Middle East.
What I want to say: 1943 will be difficult, but not as difficult as in RL.[/center][/font]

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Turn 31


6. Mai 1942





I have lost my first unit. This might not seem much, but usually I do not loose any units at all when I battle the AI. And I have the feeling that this one won't be the last.





It es clearly visible: the AI has canceled the British convoys to Murmansk. This usually happens if it notices the losses are too high. So I order the Kriegsmarine back to Germany. Some surface vessels need to be repaired, and most subs have earned experience bars. Theoretically I could leave one or two subs in Narvik (from Turn 39 on I can repair them), but I need to concentrate my forces. I expect to get Advanced Subs Level 3 sooner or later, and my subs will be a massive force after the upgrade.





I have seen massive naval movements during the last AI turn, and maybe I just escaped a massive strike by the Royal Navy. Just one more turn, and the Kriegsmarine will be safe.

Up to know, I haven't lost a single ship. This might give a bad impression of the AI, but this is not the real picture. In previous versions, I tried to conduct a classic Battle of the Atlantic and got wiped out. Every time one of my subs left Bordeaux, it ran into a British destroyer. My surface vessels got sunk by carriers, and from 1942 on I had already lost the biggest part of the Kriegsmarine.

So the strategy I played here is some kind of safety first. The AI is pretty good in controlling the Atlantic, and it even sent a carrier group to the Norwegian Sea, and I can imagine a second group was just one the way. I would say I was lucky. During the early Beta phase, I have seen a lot of Beta testers who complained they lost their subs too early in the war. I know what they mean.





The north is quite exciting at the moment. Leningrad is free of enemy presence, but the Soviet force in the far north is quite massive. Up to now I have counted two Mechanized, a Shock Army, a HQ and at least two more normal infantry units. So the Finns are outnumbered, but I am pretty sure the will be able to how the line.

Further in the south, a unit of Soviet rocket artillery is heavily damaged by a massive strike of the Luftwaffe. A final attack by the 18. Armee destroyed the unit. This is very important for my attack on Wolchow.

My tanks take a break, and they need it. The terrain up here is a big swamp, and they need to have good values to cause losses on the other side.





I need to react on what has happened in Belgorod. An attack on Moscow does not make any sense, I need to deal with the tanks around Belgorod. Von Bock in Smolensk cannot attack, and von Leeb (in Orel) did just send his tanks to Belgorod.

This is why I sent the Hungarians into the battle. They destroyed a Soviet corps and march to Kaluga. I hope this will trigger a defensive action by the AI. If it feels there is an attack coming, it pulls its unit back and establishes a defensive lines. Let us see if this works.





I have operated an Armeekorps to Sumy and the 16. Armee to Kharkow. Also I have changed the line-up of my troops around Kursk. There are four well supplied Soviet tanks units, and if they strike, they can cause havoc.
I have ordered all tanks and Mechanized from Orel (XXXIX. Panzerkorps, XXXXVII. Panzerkorps, 16. Panzergrenadierkorps, Panzergrenadierkorps Großdeutschland) to the south. If the AI attacks Kharkow or Kursk, they will spearhead the counterattack. Otherwise they will try to attack into the Soviet rear.

It was the right decision to abandon Belgorod. If I would have left the II. Armeekorps in the town, it would have been attacked by artillery and four tank groups with Prepared Attack Bonus. No way to survive this. Just imagine you would take part in a boxing match. If you notice your opponent wants to do a massive swing, you move on step back.. this is what I just did.





I want to control Kantemirowka as soon as possible. Taking the town will lower the supply of all Soviet units in the area drastically. And of course this gives me the option to cut off the enemy forces at Belgorod.





I think it is clearly visible what I'm trying.
There are two options: attack Woronesch (difficult, I expect a lot of units there) or attack between Woronesch and Belgorod which seems to be the easier alternative. I will decide after the next AI turn.





An attack on Cairo needs to be prepared. This is why I brought my artillery close to the city. German and Italian tanks have reached the gates so they can attack with Prepared Attack Bonus next turn.




This will increase the efficiency of my HQs.
Much appreciated.[/center][/font]

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Turn 32 (AI)

17. Mai 1942


I get an impression of what will expect me in 1942. The Red Army has put 12 new units in service during its turn.
The total amount is 122 ground units, and I think 10 will be garrisons and pioneers.
This means they have twice as many combat units in Russia as me.
My first (and probably only) target for 1942 will be to decimate the Red Army. I cannot conduct an offensive before I have reduced the enemy force.
Fortunately, my position in the north and in Rostow is relatively safe, so I can concentrate on the Soviet center.





Fortunately the AI does not send additional units up to the north.
This will make the conquest of Wolchow much easier.





The Hungarian advance triggered a defensive behavior of the AI.
This fits into my plans.. I don't have many units up there.
My tanks and planes are concentrated in the south.





The Soviet bridgehead is massively supported at its flanks. Hubert's AI amazes me again.
An attack on Woronesch does not seems appropriate. I will try to encircle Belgorod in my turn.





Due to the retreat of the ATGs I have one attack less on Cairo in my next turn.
But instead of an American Army, there is just a British corps in the city, so the entrenchment will be low.

A perfect occasion for an attack.





I haven't shown much from the west.
The Royal Air Force is active, but it does not do much damage.
The Bomber Command is in Egypt, and Tactical Bombers are not the right measure.
I cannot see the losses the British suffer, but I think they are higher than mine.
This will change once the Bomber Command comes back from Egypt.. or an American Strategic Bomber arrives.
I need to buy more flak.[/center][/font]