TGW v1.8 playtest

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what's happening near Moscow. I'm hoping I can get one of my armour units into the city and hold it one turn and then back
out to safety. But even if I lose the unit it would be worth it if the Soviets lose Moscow because of the dip in Soviet.........what supply
or reinforcements one or the other goes down. Maybe both do. I don't remember now. Steve knows.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what's happening north of Moscow. I'm going way out on a limb here to try to make up some time in the schedule and maybe
save the lives of some of my troops. There's a desperate need for a lot more bodies on the scene, more boots on the ground. I've
flown into the area lots of air cover and CS missions are the rule because of all the combat going on right now. About 50% of the
troops are involved in a shoving match and so far it's been back and forth, some hexes changing hands twice in two turns. Losses
are mounting and I've been attacking on those corner places where you can get three hexes to impinge on a target hex and the
Soviet losses have been severe, some units evaporating. Brutal fighting all along the front line from north to south. Something is
going to give shortly.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what's going on in the south. I've successfully contained two separate breeches of my lines and it looks like I may have
breeched the Soviet lines on my own account. I'm going to have to get some recon assets up there to take a look around and
move some troops that way just in case I can take some advantage from it. Supply is still low but my units have saved up and
they are in the green so far so they move and attack when the opportunity occurs.

[larryfulkerson]

I've got a handful of units that are down to 2/3 of their max strength but the rest of them are hovering around 70% good to go and
we're getting onto June and the days are going to start getting shorter and I've got maybe another, what, maybe until the end of
October which is four months game time, which is 16 turns from now, that I can still move and attack with the supply level being
good enough. After that the supply level is going to collapse again and I'll have to be in good defensive positions to make it
through the winter what with all the Soviet attacks that are going to happen. I may have to give ground to obtain better positions.
That's why it's best if I get Moscow sometime in the next 16 turns or so.

[larryfulkerson]

Okay......I've been moving units and we've had one round of combat and the face of Moscow has changed. I found a couple of
divisions I could spare and moved them into the intrusion zone toward downtown and I'm surrounding some Soviet stuff slowly
and I'm expecting them to try to back out of the surround so I'll have to chase them but maybe not.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what's happening in the Kursk area now. I've blown a hole and I'm pushing some elements into it to hold it open and maybe
get some fast movers to get into the Soviet rear areas and move around on the roads and rails. See how much supply I can get to
some far flung areas.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what Moscow looks like after two rounds of combat and movement. The group on the left is severely reduced in size and
I'm getting pincers around the city started and baring complications we should have the city in Axis hands before too long.

[larryfulkerson]

I decided I needed an accurate integer for the number of units I have in the field, a ballpark rough number, something, so I can tell
when I'm winning or losing. If I'm losing units that's a bad sign. If I'm gaining units.......well, I can live with it. So I disbanded all the CD
coastal guns and all the riff raff that I'll never find a job for and this is the number that I have left. It's smaller than I was hoping but
I can start to divide the divisions to make more. My front line needs to expand about 2/3 bigger to accomodate all the surrounding
I'm going to try to do.

[larryfulkerson]

Hey you guys......I'm going to try something I've never pulled off successfully. I'm going to try to surround about half the Soviet
army with one gulp. Just to make this game more interesting.

[larryfulkerson]

Okay.....new turn and here's what's happening toward the south. The Soviet front line, west of where I breeched, seems to be
crumbling. This is a new turn of events. I may not have to make such a big loop around all of them anymore. It might behove
me to just wrap around the group and run down the line surrounding and destroying them one at a time or making small groups
and kill them over the duration of three or four turns. Rather than the giant loop I mean.

[Cmdr_Vessery]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

Hey you guys......I'm going to try something I've never pulled off successfully. I'm going to try to surround about half the Soviet
army with one gulp. Just to make this game more interesting.

That's a great encirclement plan.. I would shorten it up just a little, run up the rail line through Yelets - Bobriki - Moscow. And if you want to cut their supplies, you will need to have a German unit spaced every other hex location to cut them off..

Good luck, and I like this monster pincer move.. Blitzkrieg at it's best.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the Moscow area now in T51. The large group on the left is gone entirely and I've recon-ed the area north of Moscow and
have declared it clear of enemy and I've pushed all the Soviet defenders either into the city or away from it. Both. We're still
pushing and shoving and it's going to take several turns yet to have the city in my hands. The encirclement project is ongoing let's
call it operation Shiny Buick.

[larryfulkerson]

This is what's happening down south. The Soviet front line has disentegrated and I'm thinking I can just wrap up the Soviet line
and surround and destroy them a little at a time. Shiny Buick can go ahead though because I like the plan.

[larryfulkerson]

The railhead is finally getting close to the southern front lines southern limits and the supply level is growing higher per turn. I don't
know if I should go ahead and build rail further south one more turn or should I transfer all three RR engineers to the breech area
right NOW to facilitate the surrounding loop building. Those units are going to need some supply too. I'll look into the supply
situation at the breech and give you a full report.

[larryfulkerson]

My looping units are going to starve before they get to their duty station so I'd best move the RR engineers north and get them
busy. I'm thinking of repairing rail just below the lines of my troops to give them a good supply boost and build further east as
well. It's looking like a fine plan on paper.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what's happening in the far north. This sector has been relatively quiet so far. The Soviets attack every now and then but
it's contained and no harm no foul. I'm thinking that the forces involved are relatively balanced and I have no expansionist plans in
the north. I'm not sure freeing the Finns would do much for the Axis cause and the cost would be heavy. I'll leave well enough alone
for a while longer.

[larryfulkerson]

My AA unit in Leningrad was wondering how much CS support is reaching this far north so I took a look in the attack planner and
it says that there are three separate planes working this area. Which isn't much. I'm going to look into getting some more CS up
here because there's a good chance the Soviets are going to continue pushing and shoving even though I don't want a fight in
this neck of the woods. I've got about 2/3 of the bombers on CS and the rest are resting or on INT missions. There was an HE-111
unit that was down to the last dozen or so planes in the squadrons so I moved him to the Berlin area to refit a bit.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what's going on north of Moscow. I've got units scurrying around blowing bridges and establishing road blocks and
converting hexes. I want to protect my northern flank so I won't have to worry about that while I'm trying to sack Moscow.
Soviet resistance has increased with the arrival of some timely reinforcements. Some big units too. Shiney Buick seems to
be thwarted. At least for now.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what's happening in the breech area. I remember when it was just a narrow path and now it's a full-fledged new
extention of the front lines. I'm still looking around for some more units to thrust into there and extend the breakthrough.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the highest losses of any category, in descending order.