FIFTY SHADES OF WiTE: SILLYFLOWER V BRIANG

[sillyflower]

I've got to break free
God knows, God knows
I want to break free

So I did

[sillyflower]

Bruce remains The Boss with 3.5 hours of rock perfection, so I can now add commentary. I started by taking out the surrounded cav xxx and inf xx to clear the way forward. Combined strength of only 14,111 men (56% of TOE) was a surprise but good for German morale to see such weakened opponents.Other defenders just routed away leaving the field clear for advances of up to 180 miles in the turn. The combats at the east end were attacks by unit that had already gone past the defenders as I wanted to squeeze him into the Gorky enclave. Not a pocket but the units in it are all 90+ MPs from supply so they won't bet getting much in the way of supplies.

Off the screen there appeared to be v. few ground combat units. I only found 2 near Makhhachkla and a solitary mtn div near Baku.Lets hope I can keep the Bolsheviks bottled up.

Krasnodar seems to be the new Mortain as 4 cav xxx and other troops seem keener to attack there to head back to Baku where they might be of more use.My mtn units storm another 100 square miles of mountains to plant themselves more in the way of enemy units which may try heading east.

[sillyflower]

Thoughts on T52

A long time in the planning, sending as much combat power down there as I could each turn, avoiding earlier overstretch or kicking off too early. Seems to have paid off rather better than expected.

losses on turn about 14K to 30K and air I forgot to look at. However in Brian's T51 air losses were 14G to 134 soviet, so the LW clearly does better without me. Mud next turn so the tip of the spear won't get much fuel though there is 1 pz xx there with lots.

I think freebie return of units is what's keeping Brian alive. However, from the weakness and fragility of Brian's units (2 more arty regts destroyed along with the 2 pocketed units) that we are seeing that his units are generally weak. In my other game as Russians only 2 turns ahead is that destroyed units are building up to full strength in a turn or 2 (my economy is very strong) but ending up with experience levels only in the low-mid teens so they won't be any use for a long time.I suspect the Brian's new units are weak in strength as well as quality which is keeping all his units below strength. I will be interested to find out how strong his pocketed units in the north are when I next have a clear turn to kill them in.

10/10 to Brian for tenacity.

[sillyflower]

T53

OMG was my original thought on seeing Brian's T52. Actually, that's not quite true but I don't want to break forum rules by writing rude words.

No triumph is ever so great nor any disaster as bad as first appears, and it became clear that B had put everything in the shop window without a lot of follow-on forces.



I had quite a lot of troops in the area inc. 6 panzer/mot xx + allies, and more have arrived. Last mud turn so it was a question of creating a containment perimeter to stop further advances, whilst preparing forces on both flanks to be ready to c/attack next turn. With luck Rostov '42 will be the new Kharkov '42.

I was able to convert remaining rail hexes around Krasnodar so there will be an alternative supply route next turn, tho' it will be blocked by the 1-5 tank xxx adjacent to the Rumanian 1-6 inf xx guarding the crucial junction bottom of screen in the middle

[sillyflower]

Deep south



Despite little fuel,2 gd cav xx put into secure pockets adjacent to Vorosomething. Note the northern one that can be seen better in the earlier screenshot.

His units down here seem to be very weak (not that the ones further north have much more impressive DVs) and rout easily. Grozny liberated with its massive fuel supplies (anyone know how I can actually get my units to use them?) so I now have 246 VPs.Contact restored with the tip of the spear.

The elite lead infantry divs (inc 1 corps still led by Model) are not bothered by lack of petrol and will get to the front line next turn

[sillyflower]

ORIGINAL: sillyflower

Deep south

Grozny liberated with its massive fuel supplies (anyone know how I can actually get my units to use them?)

Anyone?

[Michael T]

You can't. Unless you get isolated maybe. Not if this still is the case as it may have changed since I last tested it. But previously if you were cut off in a city with fuel you would get it. But not if a normal supply line is open. Weird hey.

[sillyflower]

Indeed weird. I put 1 Pz A HQ and 2 of its corps HQs in Grozny my last turn, so we shall see once I get the turn back...

[sillyflower]

T54




Russian c/attacks fail so I mop up the pockets and carry on for the moment.

[sillyflower]

further down





The over-extended Bolsheviks respond well to being herded into holding pens. Rail line cleared and there are 3 FBDs in the area to repair all recaptured rail hexes next turn.

Above the screenshot Voroshilovograd is recaptured as per combat report.

[Manstein63]

If only I was doing as well as you. Still its nice to see that Brian is not giving up which he probably would of had to before, because of the now defunked AP crunch.
Manstein63

[sillyflower]

Deep south



The case of the mysterious disappearing horses from last turn's pocket. The division shows up in the destroyed list. Came as a great surprise to the attacking Slovaks, who decided to shoot each other instead.

Morvael/Dennis - can either of you explain?

The untrustworthy Bolsheviks south of Krasnodar decided for the first time to advance after attacking aided by some lucky die rolls. The status quo has been restored.

3 FBDs get to the area S of Rostov with damaged rails + I try to herd him off the rail hexes as much as possible. I can now restore the lines next turn. The western line from Rostov via Krasnodar must remain intact for next turn!

[sillyflower]

The tip of the spear



Badly hampered by lack of petrol, we make a little progress. His units round here a clearly weak and enjoy routing as a preferred combat option. Pocket clearance and the surrender of an inf xx too far from a supply source help to reduce the enemy strength here.The 1 pz xx with lots of fuel clears out the defence line on the river north of Makhachkala by routing all its units.

[sillyflower]

Thoughts on T54

The lack of petrol is becoming more than annoying. Despite that, the stats were good. Losses 10.8K to 67K (inc 50K prisoners). Air 96 to 196 partly due to some airbase overruns at the tip of the spear. Units destroyed:

2 tank xxx
2 gd cav xx
5 inf xx
2 inf x
2 regts and 3 bns of SUs.

Units pocketed this turn;

3 tank xxx
4 inf xx (inc 1 gd)
6 inf x

It is easy to think that the only thing keeping the Red Army going is all those free unit returns - assuming he's using all his AP each turn so he's running on empty. On the other hand, 60% TOE seems to be the going rate for his units with some with far fewer men than that, so the manpower and/or arms shortages are keeping Brian's strength down.

With the re-liberation of Voroshilovograd, I now have 247 VPs and there are another 7 in the Caucasus so I will then need 6 more from somewhere............

[chaos45]

I think he made a massive mistake not retreating by Krasnodor....esp with you right next to his rail line like that....it has got to burning up a ton of Soviet trucks to keep those guys supplied, not to mention his odds of keep the entire area supplied at all is looking very unlikely...

So that will be an entire Soviet army wiped out for no real reason---not to mention it looks to be a high quality Soviet army lots of Guards and Cav.

An the trucks---his logistics guys have to be crying over lost trucks move supplies up that one coastal road and into the mountains from a rail head over 100 miles away...in real life think that entire Soviet army would have already collapsed from lack of re-supply over the month or so the campaign has gone on there.

[M60A3TTS]

ORIGINAL: sillyflower
With the re-liberation of Voroshilovograd, I now have 247 VPs and there are another 7 in the Caucasus so I will then need 6 more from somewhere............

Head for Stalingrad. What could possibly go wrong? [;)]

[sillyflower]

T55

The swine cuts the eastern RR from Rostov but the sense of humour moment was a partisan attack cutting the other line. We make do and mend

[sillyflower]

North of Rostov





A strange lurch with 5 tank xxx. Probably looked good like a good idea but I had a little armour coming down from the north and Hungarian and Italian units on the way to the front. Most of the latter replaced better Romanians doing city garrison duty so the latter were able to walk to the frontline. The penetration was therefore isolated fairly easily. Contact will be restored easily, but I hope to do a more secure job next turn as the slow transfer of panzertruppen from the north continues.

[sillyflower]

Moscow area



Note the French contribution to the successful attack.

[sillyflower]

Tidying up and shortening the front -giving the panzers something useful to do before they can rail south.