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and the south

There's a surprise in Crimea. Kerch seems to be only slightly sworn in, I'm drawing on reserves

The surprise in Crimea is a success. There is hardly any resistance

Good progress is also being made in the other sections. Orel falls quite quickly and the suburbs of Kursk and Kharkov are reached.

T89 & T90 just the occasional attack. Pulling back the usual 2 hexes a week.

T91. Get in a small counter attack.
The area West of Stalingrad has a rail desert, so am pulling back along the rail lines rather than having a mass of units at a long distance from a depot.T91.jpg[/attachment]

My best leaders. The last two columns are wins and losses.
It is unfortunate that the Italians have decided to go home given their stellar performance.
Rommel is about to leave too, I attached him to a Corps that had an expiry date.

And these are the dead ones, seems reasonable to me despite the recent thread to the contrary.

T92 was quiet.

T93. Am trying to hold onto Stalingrad till the mud comes. It is beginning to look risky.

T94.
One hefty counter attack, those Mech divisions are good.
Have only lost 3 Tigers to date while they continue to pile up in in production. Have been using the Heavy Panzer btns as much as possible but the stock keeps growing. Stalingrad is looking too scary and we run away, again.

T95.
The mud begins to arrive, too late for Stalingrad.
Just the one attack.
With not much happening there is always a glut of combat SUs to attach.

You're over half way home with the Axis. Just make it to turn 186, into 1945 for the sudden death win.

You're over half way home with the Axis. Just make it to turn 186, into 1945 for the sudden death win.

It feels like a long time, two summers and 1 1/2 winters.

T96 - mud across the map.

The current front lines with the areas lost during the winter marked.
One battle this turn during the mud, Tigers at work.

And some graphs.

The map men downturn is due to mostly Allies leaving the map.

Manpower pool is mostly Allies however German numbers have been going up. I have been trying to use the Allies in combat as much as possible once the Blitzkrieg slowed down but it hasn't had much effect on their glut of manpower.

T97.
Quiet, still mud.

T98.
The mud cleared unexpectedly in the center & south and the Soviets catch a lot of units not fully entrenched. However nothing pocketed so not too serious.
We get in some counter attack.

T99.
The retreat continues.

T100.
Well the retreat last turn didn't go fast enough, and get 3 divisions partially pocketed South of Stalingrad. I had moved my reserve units away the previous turn, a bad mistake as it turns out.
They were stacked in the right most hex. I spread them out and attempt to smother the lead Soviet units and bring over reinforcements. Will see next turn if i can stage a recovery or should just abandon them and run. There is also the fear of a larger pocket forming.

T101.
Stalingrad after the Soviet turn.

All the counter attacks go well and the way is cleared to escape several hexes.
Think I lost 10 Tigers this turn, or maybe it was last turn - bringing the total up to 15. Elsewhere not much happens, the retreat continues.

The front line. A couple of mech corps advance two far and with a bit of herding get surrounded. Not sure how secure the pocket is, all depends on how many Soviet Corps are following up. The Tigers are still busy, otherwise the front is mostly fairly quiet.

The pocket holds...

The pattern continues, Soviet attacks generally succeed (this one worse than usual as they had manoeuvered me out of fortifications) and sometimes we can get a counter attack in. T105.
All quietish.