"Dortmund!" Axis vs Soviet AI

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Hi Comrade - Good tips and thanks. Makes sense what you say and I'll think I'll adopt as such.

AGN - Gradual progress forward but I need to pick up the pace to get anywhere decent. A few more Soviet units cut off and the Finns have surrounded a Division south of Vyborg.

The extra Corps I sent up to AGN will help to flush out the lines with more infantry.

[Speedysteve]

AGC - I feel as though a little moment is starting in AGC's theatre of operations.

39th and 57th Pz Cps are starting to outflank Smolensk from the south and north.

46th and 47th Pz Cps have surrounded 3 Rifle Divisions + AT Bde in Roslaval.

Where as 24th Pz Cps has swung NE from Gomel heading towards Bryansk.

The sheer amount of infantry in my lines (even though a fair bit of it is broken down into Bde's) is starting to be felt as I attack any enemy division that is not being targetted for encirclement.

Be interesting to see if the AI pulls back again. If it doesn't Smolensk will probably be encircled next week and further Pocket/s could be created further south as well.

[Mynok]

Interesting how you do more, smaller pockets. Much of what I've seen from AARs have people making somewhat large ones.

[Speedysteve]

LOL. Maybe it's my ineptitude Mynok? [;)]

I've learnt a lot during this campaign already about what to do and not to do. I'd like to be able to make larger one's (like the 14 Division (6 Tank) one I've made around Vinnitsa in AGS) but the issue I've had is gettign enough units in place to make that larger pocket whilst covering the flanks!

One thing I'd like to try in my next campaign is to focus all 4 Pz Cps in AGC into one massive hammer. This would have pro's and con's as I see it:

Pro's - ability to smash absolutely anything in their path. Ability to create a large big pocket.

Con's - would need a mass of infantry to cover it's flanks and rear. Soviet's could put a massive wave of divisions in this sector blunting it's effectiveness and not allowing flexibility of exploitation elsewhere.

AGS - As I mentioned above this week 3rd and 48th Pz Cps worked with Infantry, Slovaks and even Rumanians to encircle 14 Soviet Divisions around Vinnitsa.

A surrounded Zhitomir fell and the Rumanian's with German help took out 2 Rifle Divisions west of the Yuzhny Bug River.

[colberki]

+1 Thanks for the tip. I managed 4390 Soviet aircraft destroyed for a loss of 127 GE aircraft. Ready to fly was set at 20. No changing back to 50 for the move/combat.[&o]

[Speedysteve]

Losses....21 Soviet Units destroyed.

[Chad Harrison]

Just caught up to now Speedy. Good going so far

Just curious, what tricks are you using in general to keep your armor/motorized spearhead units in supply and with, most importantly, enough fuel? Thats been my biggest problem up to this point is keeping them gassed and ready to go, especially so far from a rail.

Do you move their entire MP allowance? Are you using air drops?

Keep pushing!

Chad

[ComradeP]

Speedy/Mynok: Making smaller pockets isn't ineptitude, it's smart in a number of ways: it economizes on force applied compared to the result, it's safer for the units involved and the units involved are probably closer to their supply line next turn. If you try a big pocket and it turns sour, your mobile units might be trapped 10 or more hexes from the follow-up infantry, which is a rather serious problem. Making smaller pockets close to the starting line will mean units are within fairly easy reach of supporting infantry.

There's also the "death by a thousand cuts" theory that both sides can use (most people seem to think it only applies to the way the Soviets wage war). After the initial pockets, pocketing about a dozen divisions or more each turn will quickly force the Soviets to be thin on the ground with divisions in some areas.

One thing I'd like to try in my next campaign is to focus all 4 Pz Cps in AGC into one massive hammer. This would have pro's and con's as I see it:

Pro's - ability to smash absolutely anything in their path. Ability to create a large big pocket.

Con's - would need a mass of infantry to cover it's flanks and rear. Soviet's could put a massive wave of divisions in this sector blunting it's effectiveness and not allowing flexibility of exploitation elsewhere.

With that many mobile units, the mobile units themselves could cover most of the flanks, as they could leapfrog through Soviet lines. As long as you can keep the battle reasonably fluid, it's certainly an idea that's worth a try. I have a similar idea that I hope I'll be able to share with the readers of my own AAR when I finally get my game with notenome to work (I seem to be more or less the only one with multiplayer problems, which is both a good thing for the others and a bad thing for me). Even a carpet wouldn't be able to stop that much concentrated firepower.

I was confused for a moment, as I thought you suggested moving all Panzer Groups/Armies to AGC, which would make for awesome gains in the AGC area, but more or less halt the advance of the other army groups.

[Flaviusx]

I note that Jon has made the death by a thousand cuts strategy work very well for his Germans.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Chad - Most important things I can say for supply are to keep the Corps HQ within 5 hexes and under the MP limit for supply to reach the unit. Also important is to plan your rail repair strategy in advance. As in plan which lines you plan to repair and generally plan these into where your Panzers are going to head. With it being clear weather and the additional stock piles of supply built up I find that provided the abovce is done your panzers will have a decent MP allowance on the beginning of the following turn.

Other things I do to help the situation - I use JU52's/bombers to drop fuel/supply to spearhead ARM units at the END of my turn before moving HQ/AF's. Also having good leaders is important since their ADMIN skill determiens how many MP's units get as well.

Comrade/Flavius - well well. Guess I'm learning something then [;)] Will watch your AAR with interest to see how it works as you'll likely be doing that before I start another GC!

AGN - A quietish week with local infantry attacks to keep the enemy disrupted as XXXXI Pz Cps was pulled out of the line to rest and re-group east of Pskov before advancing eastwards again next week.

An SS Motorised Bde and SS Cavalry Bde have arrived on the scene too and been assigned to LVI Pz Cps.

[Speedysteve]

AGC - A frustrating week for the Panzer Truppen as XXXIX Pz Cps just faield to encircle 10 Soviet Divisions NE of Smolensk (which was occupied this week).

Further south the River Desna prevented XXXXVI and XXXXVII Pz Cps from crossing to head north of Bryansk.

Roslaval was taken and 3 Soviet Divisions annihilated.

[Speedysteve]

AGS - The Vinnitsa Pocket was reduced over a few days led by LII Corps infantry. 7 Soviet Divisions surrendered.

Recon had identified a weakness in the Soviet lines east of Vinnitsa and Zhitomir. This was exploited as infantry assaulted flanking positions and allowed PZ and MTR divisions of XXXXVIII, III and XIV Pz Corps created 2 pockets of Soviet's numbering 9 Divisions. The lines were so broken that 14th Pz Division sped 1230 miles and captured Cherkassy unoccupied. 25th Motorised and elements of 16th Pz covering the flanks.

[Speedysteve]

Losses.........27 Soviet units destroyed

[Speedysteve]

AGN - The renewed offensive began in earnest as XXXXI and LVI Pz Cps smashed their way eastwards over the Lovat and Pola Rivers advancing 60 miles.

Further South II Corps occupied Velikiye Luki causing over 1500 Soviet casualties.

[Speedysteve]

AGC North - The Soviets appear to be feeling the strain and maybe the heavy losses they've had are starting to show?

3rd Panzer Group surged ahead east towards Vyazma as followign infantry encircled 2 Soviet divisions NE of Smolensk. Only weak resistance was encountered by 3rd Panzer Group as they end the week at the gates of Vyazma.

[paullus99]

Good luck - you've seemed to have made pretty good progress so far. It will be interesting to see how things progress over the next few weeks. You'll probably need a bit of time for rest & refit before pushing forward again (though when exactly to do that is the question of the day).

[Speedysteve]

AGC South - Further south the Soviet line also appeared weak as 2nd Panzer Group proceeded with 2 prongs.

24th Pz Cps surrounded 28th Mountain Division in Bryansk.

46th and 47th Pz Cps headed a little to the north of the 24th Pz Cps with a view to heading both NE to Kaluga and north to link with 3rd Panzer Group at Vyazma.

I'm sure the Germans thought this in RL but if the Soviets don't act quick I can see Moscow falling......

[DuckofTindalos]

Things are going to "congeal" shortly, Speedy. When you get close to Moscow, you'll starting wondering where all those seemingly full-strength rifle divisions came from...[:D]

[Speedysteve]

Hey that sounds like RL T [;)]

AGS - The main focus for the week was on securing the bridgehead at Cherkassy. 3rd and 48th Pz Cps elements raced eastwards to secure this and strengthen the foothold on the east bank.

Soviet forces to the SW fled the previous week to positions around Kirovograd and I don't blame them otherwise they could have been encircled.

Further to the north the main action was on bitter fighting in the western fringes of Kiev by 44th Corps supported by 14th Pz Cps to the north of the city.

Further to the South the Rumanians are closing up on Odessa and the Italians are entering the scene with a token force!

[Speedysteve]

ORIGINAL: paullus99

Good luck - you've seemed to have made pretty good progress so far. It will be interesting to see how things progress over the next few weeks. You'll probably need a bit of time for rest & refit before pushing forward again (though when exactly to do that is the question of the day).

Thanks Paullus......rest? What's rest? [;)]

Losses.....18 Soviet units destroyed.