German side of a mirror match

[eskuche]

Ah, forgot to say, the deception looks like it probably worked. I enjoy working around the fog of war inasmuch as the engine allows, so good job there!

[CapAndGown]

I will keep track of HQBU's from now on and provide that info. For now the vehicle pool looks fine have 179, need 118.

I screwed up royally in the south. I was focused on threatening an encirclement of Soviet forces around the Dnepr bend. I didn't have the forces right now to even attempt such an encirclement, but the threat would be there for next turn. This would, in turn dislodge his defensive line along the Dnepr and force a withdrawal. With this in mind, I was overly focused on ensuring that my own forces did not become encircled by the Soviets. I launched a raid to take out some air bases and hopefully destroy some air frames, but then pull back into a good defensive position. (BTW: the Soviets lost 600 air frames this turn, including 106 Migs.)

What I should have done is raided the Donbas complex. Stalino still has 29 armament factories while Makeevka and Gorlovka has the starting allotment of HI and armament factories. An after the fact reconnaissance showed Stalino had no garrison. The movement points I used to make the airbase raid and withdrawal could have just as easily been used to raid the Donbas and withdraw to safety afterwards. Grrrrr. [:@]

[CapAndGown]

In other sections of the front:

1) The Finnish theater interests me as much as the China theater does in War in the Pacific, which is to say not at all. I am surprised I even remember it some turns. This turn I finally decided to do something there. The Soviets had been holding the choke point north of Lake Ladoga and I had been content to let them tie up a number of divisions here as opposed to just creating some fortified regions along the no attack line. This turn I changed my mind. Soviet fort building was getting out of hand and I needed to do something about it now or never, so I finally launched two deliberate attacks to breakthrough the bottle neck.

I should also note that one of my corps there finally, FINALLY, activated. Geez.

2) Leningrad continues to be a slog. Orienbaum is ridiculous. A defensive value of 1, yet nothing, NOTHING seems to phase it.

3) Since Leningrad has been such a slog, I diverted a panzer corps from the Luga down south where we opened up a hole in the Soviet lines west of Rzhev. Again, the Soviets in this sector had a defensive line only 10 miles deep. No big encirclement, plus the woods really slowed things down, but you take what you can get.

[redrum68]

Either way, why withdraw the units that did raid in the south? Leaving them up there would have secured those hexes and made an encirclement next turn more of a threat.

[CapAndGown]

ORIGINAL: redrum68

Either way, why withdraw the units that did raid in the south? Leaving them up there would have secured those hexes and made an encirclement next turn more of a threat.

There are no relief forces that could save them should they become encircled.

[redrum68]

There's not really anyway he has the units or movement to encircle them with your thrust being 6 hexes wide.

[CapAndGown]

ORIGINAL: redrum68

There's not really anyway he has the units or movement to encircle them with your thrust being 6 hexes wide.

I would have thought the same thing right up until he broke my pockets during his turn 10 move and encircled a bunch of my panzers. A few lucky rolls and some of those cavalry divisions can get ALOT of movement points.

[redrum68]

True they can have 22 MP and if high morale only 3 MP per enemy hex. That said as long as you have a every other hex ZoC and some reserve panzers or infantry behind the thrust they won't be able to do much.

[CapAndGown2]

The Kiev pocket yielded 300k soviet casualties: 23 rifle, 1 motorized, 5 tank and 2 cavalry divisions as well as an army HQ and 2 AT brigades.

I would post a picture, but my computer died and I can't get back into to my old log in, so I am using a new account. [:(]

[eskuche]

Down with underscores! They are a Bolshevik implement anyway.

[CapAndGown2]

ORIGINAL: eskuche

Down with underscores! They are a Bolshevik implement anyway.

But I've had that login for 19 years!!

I know, I will go over to the WitP forum and start posting in "THE THREAD" to get my post count up. [:D]

[CapAndGown2]

By popular demand:

HQBU stats before build up:
HQ 25 MP (to railhead); 83 supply dumps, 41 fuel dumps
20 Pz 25 MP; 66/437 (fuel have/need)
20 Motor 28 MP; 57/326
14 Motor 29 MP; 40/321
7 Pz 30 MP; 82/444
none of the divisions moved

[redrum68]

Really need hex ranges as well (those are actually more important than MP in general for supply/fuel).

[CapAndGown2]

ORIGINAL: redrum68

Really need hex ranges as well (those are actually more important than MP in general for supply/fuel).

Won't know until I get the turn back. I was just putting up that info while I had it. We shall see. I am not expecting to see many MPs, but I didn't want that corps to just wait around trying to scrounge up gas.

[CapAndGown]

Here are the results of the HQBU from post #52

Everyone is at least 5 MP closer to the rail head this turn.

HQ 209 supply dumps, 169 fuel dumps
20 Pz - 40 MP 358/444
20 Motor - 41 MP 265/322
14 Motor - 38 MP 246/317
7 Pz - 40 MP 357/433

Vehicle pool went from 185k to 183k.

[CapAndGown]

There is little to report for turn 12. Leningrad is a slog. Completed the encirclement of two divisions near Rzhev. 6 Army is scattered all hither and yon from cleaning up the massive pocket we created last turn. Infantry marches east everywhere.

The only real action of note was around Zaparozhe where we encircle a few units which did not retreat from the Dnepr. The pocket will be opened next turn, but three units will be unable to escape.

[CapAndGown]

Yet another HQBU to record:

HQ 22 MP to rail head, 203 supply dump, 140 fuel dump
SS Wiking 29 MP to rail head, fuel have/need 85/378
9 Pz 23 MP, 113/394
16 Pz 21 MP, 291/569
10 Pz 20 MP, 273/485

[CapAndGown]

We have achieved a breakthrough into the Crimea and much more firmly closed the pocket around Zaparozhe.

[CapAndGown]

With help from 4 Army, panzer armies 2 & 3 make a small encirclement around Orel. The pocket includes 6 rifle and 1 cavalry divisions plus the HQ for the 12th Army. Though the pocket is small, the huge gap in the Russian front line created threatens Voronezh and its IL-2 factories. We expect they will be evacuated this turn, greatly throttling the production of the Soviet Union's premier ground attack aircraft.

[CapAndGown]

Meanwhile, 9 and 2 armies slowly bludgeon their way towards Moscow.

I will skip an image from Leningrad where progress continues very, very slowly.

In the air, OKL ordered rest for our almost all our air groups this turn. Fighter ranges were set to 10 miles while ground support and interdiction were turned off. Fatigue has become excessive and losses are mounting.