"I have no idea what I'm doing" Bread (Axis) v Fracas (Soviet)

[Hardradi]

Bitter sweet getting pushed out of Moscow. I assume this means that the NSS is gone. Does that not give you any hope?

Is it possible to show how flushed out your rail network is in Sep 1942?

[RedJohn]

Showed Hardradi on discord. Basically everything except Ukraine is fully repaired.

Front as of turn 74.

[RedJohn]

We've made far more progress to Leningrad than I could ever have hoped for. It seems removing Moscow as a NSS has crippled Soviet supply in the area.

[RedJohn]

Things have been brutal, as usual, since the last update - but we made a huge pocket just as heavy mud hit close to Orel.

[RedJohn]

A large number of Guards formations were removed just on the eve of Winter. According to Fracas, it was a large enough blow that he doesn't believe anything decisive can happen this winter.

But, it is winter still.

[RedJohn]

We've killed so many men. So many tanks... But Fracas still has, and I quote "3500 T34s, 2500 lights and 2000 heavy's".

[RedJohn]

OOB as of November 15th, 1942.

May God have mercy on the souls of those who have died in this accursed War in the East. (2). (TM)

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: RedJohn

We've made far more progress to Leningrad than I could ever have hoped for. It seems removing Moscow as a NSS has crippled Soviet supply in the area.

...

I suspect that alone will win you the game, if you are forced to rely on the December 44 test (ie the Soviets must meet the HWM or lose).

At a guess he'll hit real problems on a Minsk-Kiev line as his NSS will be back on the Volga?

[Beethoven1]

In addition to taking the NSS at Moscow, Bread has also seems to have done a pretty good job of keeping the Red Army at a manageable size. Barely more than 5 million on the map at this point doesn't seem bad at all.

[RedJohn]

ORIGINAL: loki100

ORIGINAL: RedJohn

We've made far more progress to Leningrad than I could ever have hoped for. It seems removing Moscow as a NSS has crippled Soviet supply in the area.

...

I suspect that alone will win you the game, if you are forced to rely on the December 44 test (ie the Soviets must meet the HWM or lose).

At a guess he'll hit real problems on a Minsk-Kiev line as his NSS will be back on the Volga?

Possibly! It's also possible I just generally collapse. Superdepot usage should be critical for him I think as he starts planning his offensives.

We'll see I suppose.

[RedJohn]

The game continues.

In the early hours of January 3rd, 1943, the 246th Infantry Division, following a major battle on the outskirts of Leningrad involving the 69th, 98th, and 11th Infantry Divisions, routs the Leningrad Garrison and successfully seizes the City for the German Reich.


But then of course retreats a hex because despite being able to take the city hex, we do not have the movement to occupy it unless we temporarily motorize a unit.

Temp motorisation I think is not banned, I forget, and I am debating whether it is worth it to use it (thus allowing the Soviets the same ability, as it is only fair) in order to garrison the city.


EDIT: And then my game crashed!

[RedJohn]

A view of the North on January 10th, 1943. Every unit here is in excellent supply, and of course Leningrad was seized so things are looking good in this area.

2 Motorised divisions were sent North a turn ago to prepare for a surprise push to the lake, but then Leningrad fell and they've now been used to reinforce south of Lake Ilmen as a Soviet corps pushed a tile with help from artillery.

[RedJohn]

A view of Centre-North. After the Moskow blitz, this area has been extremely quiet.

[RedJohn]

This has been where the most action has been happening. Despite our kneecapping of a number of vital guards formations in this area, the Soviets have responded in force by amassing many corps of different kinds. We have barely any time to refit formations before they're thrown back into the fray.

I hope that the 1943 manpower boosts do much to alleviate the issues I face.

[RedJohn]

A number of attacks have also forced the evacuation of Rostov. I was under the mistaken impression that the VP bonus was to be granted during it's 1943 capture date, but I forgot the soviets seized it historically much earlier, just to lose it again. D'oh.

The abandonment of the city should help soviet logistics though, but it also offers a lovely shortening of the line.

[RedJohn]

The accursed fortress of Yalta still holds strong, and many tens of thousands of men are still occupying it. Unfortunately this necessitates the holding up of many divisions. I hope to bring the full might of the airforce when weather clears up to thoroughly isolate and starve them out.

We of course abandoned any of our gains near the Caucasus to a much more defensible 2 hexes. All of the Crimean ports are fortified to ward off invasion.

[RedJohn]

Over 1 million Axis soldiers are permanently lost, with another million being disabled.

To date the Red Army has suffered close to 9 million casualties, 6.5 of them being permanent.

[RedJohn]

The air losses. Neither of us really used the air war to it's maximum extent - Fracas wasn't even doing mass ground bombing until a few turns ago when I told him he might as well, as it's what I do as the Soviets.

Accordingly though, we have lost very little aircraft in the grand scheme.

[RedJohn]

We have around 4000 aircraft in the pool, waiting for deployment. If only I could build new units!

[RedJohn]

This is NOT how the air graph should look, I think, but clearly my ace strategy to ignore the air entirely has resulted in us reaching 10,000 total aircraft.

[8D]