Matrix Games Forums

Your losses have been extremely light. Combined with holding both Leningrad and Moscow that is quite impressive. I would suggest that German players get overly focused on Moscow and Leningrad, allowing the Soviet player to massively concentrate in front of those spear heads while leaving everything else so lightly defended that any panzer presence at all would allow for large territorial gains on the part of the Germans.

Turn 20

Not much to report, still shuffling up forces for the planned offensive, while continuing to rail out factories:



Overall strategic picture at the end of turn 20:

Turn 21

300 AP to spend with the latest Front activations.
Just over 200 AP are spent on SUs for the Army HQs.

Volkhov Front will be assigned responsibility for the northern pincer, while Caucasus Front will be deployed near Bryansk to manage the southern pincer.

Armies that will be assigned to Volkhov Front are temporarily colored orange to help distinguish them from other STAVKA assets.

Overall strategic map at the end of the turn:

If Leningrad is safe, why continue to evacuate factories? Aren't you pinched for armaments by now?

Turn 22

Snow arrives and the Germans are back on the offensive across the front.

AGN makes a concentrated effort in the center, with several successful attacks.



AGC conducts a few attacks, with emphasis on the north and south flanks of Moscow.



STAVKA orders counterattacks where feasible, and a few successes are notched, along with some close defeats.
Several attacks are launched against the regiments that are trying to dig in in front of the planned axis of advance for both the northern and southern pincers.
No intentions to advance yet, but hoping to prevent any hold up from forts.













German attacks in the Orel sector. Note the string of German regiments holding the line between Tula and Smolensk.



Kursk is isolated, but not surrounded, as AGS unleashes a flurry of attacks tearing up Soviet rails west of the Volga.



Farther south more progress by AGS toward Rostov.



16th Army hits back, pushing the German 16th Motorized Division back.



In Crimea the Axis succeed in forcing the surrender of the last Azov port fort.
Due to the excessive cost (74 AP!) to re-assign the two armies currently attacked to Caucasus Front the decision is made to pull the two HQs and replace them with another so they can participate in the Winter Offensive. Consequently the HQs are moved to the port so they can transport to Novorossiysk and rail northward.



Overall strategic map at the end of turn 22:

If Leningrad is safe, why continue to evacuate factories? Aren't you pinched for armaments by now?

Assuming the offensive will continue when the Axis gain the initiative again.
Important factories that I wanted to go ahead and relocate while I had the available rail.
Armament pool scraping the bottom of the barrel, but I'm playing the careful, long game.

STAVKA briefs the generals who will conduct the Winter Offensive.
The offensive will officially commence in three weeks, at the beginning of December.

The goal will be for Volkhov Front to force their way south, breaking the Velikie Luki - Rzhev rail line.
Caucasus Front will push west, then hook north behind Vyazma, cutting the Vyazma - Smolensk rail line, and thus isolating AGC from rail supply.
When these thresholds are reached three divisions of airborne will be dropped to cut off any attempts to truck supplies to the front lines.
Thus isolated AGC will be liquidated.

Zhukov lays out an aggressive schedule of advance, with expectation of reaching the rail lines by the fourth week of the offensive, so that the air drops can be conducted before the end of the calendar year.

The pincers will be supported by STAVKA attached armies (colored grey) to help maintain the shoulders of the breach, and allow the spearheads to remain focused instead of holding gains.

Now that has Uber Cannae, and game over, in mind. If, if it all goes right!

ORIGINAL: Seminole

I'm afraid I'm a terribly slow player, and with frequent interruptions from a 4 and 7 year old it's even worse.
I've had success in the past saving screenshots, clipping them, and creating a gif, but the video editing would be way more involved.

Grins, ah yes those were the days, now mine just visit from their own nests.
You can record the whole turn, take screen shoots in play back when paused for the points you want, and save to a slide show. Record slideshow and time index the youtube slideshow to your commentary, that way you wont have to learn how to re edit OBS or whichever recording your using.

Turn 23

Axis continue their attacks along the line, with particular emphasis in the south.

Leningrad results are mixed:



There is some enemy recon near the northern pincer staging area and a few attacks, but with the forests and snow STAVKA is optimistic that our hand hasn't been tipped.



Some recon and a handful of attacks near Moscow. It's clear the Germans are trying to setup their winter line at this point.



West of Tula the pace of attacks steps up significantly, and more ominous is the volume of air recon behind the line, over the gathering forces of the southern pincer.
Without the forests it is likely that the Germans have caught wind of the significant reserves piling up in this sector.



Farther south AGS continues their high pace of assaults, again isolating Kursk, and reaching the Volga before pulling back slightly.



A few attacks near Voroshilovgrad, but Rostov is safe for the winter.



48th Army (STAVKA) hits back against the regiments trying to entrench in front of the northern pincer. A decision is made to split the northern pincer into an additional force centered on Torzhok. There is concern that the terrain features of the initial launching point will provide a very tight bottleneck on the attacking forces. It is hoped the direct threat of Rzhev will draw more attention and reserves than the main thrust conducted farther west.



49th Army (Bryansk Front) makes a handful of attacks to clear any fortifications built by the regiments in the southern pincer's axis of advance. These assaults expose that OKH has deployed a new formation, 5th Panzer Division, to help secure Bryansk.



Volkhov Front forces:
27 Cavalry divisions (to be converted to 9 cavalry corps)
11 Guards rifle divisions
4 Tank divisions
2 Mountain divisions

Caucasus Front forces:
27 Cavalry divisions (to be converted to 9 cavalry corps)
9 Guards rifle divisions
4 Tank divisions
3 Mountain divisions

Re-organization of the remaining Fronts are also underway, to be completed next week:

Leningrad 32 Rifle Div, 8 Arm Bde
Northwest 32 Rifle Div, 8 Arm Bde
Kalinin 32 Rifle Div, 8 Arm Bde
Western 32 Rifle Div, 8 Arm Bde
Bryansk 32 Rifle Div, 8 Arm Bde
Southwestern 32 Rifle Div, 8 Arm Bde
Southern 34 Rifle Div, 4 Arm Bde
T. Caucasus 26 Rifle Div, 6 Mtn Div, 5 Arm Bde, 1 Mot Div, 1 Cav Div, 1 Rifle Bde

12th, 48th, 50th and 54th Armies reporting to either STAVKA or Moscow MD will support the pincers.

Overall strategic map at the end of turn 23:

Turn 24

OoB status:



Victory Point status:



Ground Losses:



Destroyed Units:




The Axis attacks have ceased across the entire front.

Zhukov's fears are confirmed as scouts report both 3rd and 4th Panzer divisions have relocated from their positions just south of Moscow to reinforcing the regiments that hold the line in front of the southern pincer.

Zhukov demands STAKVA pull the still existing 10 Mot Div and assemble them at Tula as a 2nd Shock Army to provide the southern pincer additional mobility to pin and remove the panzer formations.
An additional Guards Rifle Div and Mtn Div (from the Caucasus region) will also be railed north to bolster the southern pincer.

14th Mot Div and 7th Panzer Div also pulled back from near Moscow to shore up the German defenses near Torzhok.

While not yet unleashing the offensive, STAVKA permits several small assaults to dislodge enemy regiments manning the line.

The stage for the Winter Offensive is thus set:



Overall strategic map at the end of the turn 24:

For grins, the historical Soviet winter offensive in the Moscow sector:

Turn 25

Blizzard across the entire front line.
The offensive begins in earnest.

In the Leningrad sector 7 assaults are launched with 5 successes.
The German units are thick here, however. It still appears that PG4 is in the area, but not all formations are on the line.



Between Orel and Kursk the Southwestern Front launches a handful of attacks.



In the Kharkov sector the Germans have again pushed the Soviets back toward the Volga, but otherwise little action.
Most importantly the German mechanized formations are still on the line in this area, and not close to rail.
The Red Army hits back where it can, and conducts recon to verify that the spotted reserves at Kharkov haven’t been moved yet.
We’re not sure the intent of this strategic reserve.



The Southern Front and Transcaucasus Front both engage the Axis forces shielding the Stalino metro complex.
In time we will reinforce this area in the hopes of securing the victory point objective, but this is not a primary goal of the Winter Offensive.
More important at present is tying up the German mechanized formations from PG1 that are on the front line here.



Zhukov personally commands 1st Shock Army, spearhead of the southern pincer.
The requested motorized divisions are gathering at Tula, and will be unloaded behind the front lines by the end of the week.
The three panzer divisions, 3rd, 4th, and 5th present a formidable obstacle, but the Soviets intend to focus on dislodging them via maneuver instead of direct assault.
While 3rd Panzer division is pushed back, Caucasus Front focuses attacks on the infantry formations and successfully move forward.



The Volkhov Front unleashes its attacks along two main axes, threatening Rzhev directly as a distraction, and the primary thrust following the Vyshny Volocheck - Velikie Luki rail line.
The Germans have pulled the 900th Panzer Lehr Bde back to this area from the NE corner of the German advance near Kalinin, but it's too weak to present much concern.
Cutting off and routing the 251st Infantry Division, as well as shoving back the 3/6th Infantry Division has blown a wide open hole in the German lines.



STAVKA orders additional attacks against the line by Kalinin and Western Fronts to keep up pressure on the Germans, driving up losses, fatigue, burning ammo and hopefully reducing next week’s available MP.
214th Airborne Bde is dispatched to land near Vyazma, with the intent of destroying rail and then joining partisans in supply reduction operations until Zhukov’s spearheads arrive.

Overview of Moscow sector at the end of the turn:



Stalin is pleased with the initial successes.
STAVKA anxiously awaits the response from OKH, and any clues that they are cognizant of the danger AGC is in.

Overall strategic map at the end of turn 25:

Admire your ambition, lots of potential intentions for the opponent to consider, so good deception.

ORIGINAL: Hanny

Admire your ambition, lots of potential intentions for the opponent to consider, so good deception.

“Always mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy, if possible; and when you strike and overcome him, never let up in the pursuit so long as your men have strength to follow; for an army routed, if hotly pursued, becomes panic-stricken, and can then be destroyed by half their number. The other rule is, never fight against heavy odds, if by any possible maneuvering you can hurl your own force on only a part, and that the weakest part, of your enemy and crush it.”
-Stonewall Jackson

Part of my hope is that the overall strategy is so bold as to be unexpected until unavoidable.

For grins, the historical Soviet winter offensive in the Moscow sector

newspaper map quality
this will probably be more illustrative:



and this is a detailed diagram of a right punch



and detailed map of the left strike



if the front line in the north is almost historical, then your the southeast is much better than the historical one (100-120 miles west - TULA area).

very interesting what will happen next!
Good Game!

P.s. I didn't figure it out, somehow can make a small preview of the picture on this forum, but without compressing the original image. Sorry

Beautiful maps, thank you!
Are there more online? Would love to know the resource.

ORIGINAL: GDHF
if the front line in the north is almost historical, then your the southeast is much better than the historical one (100-120 miles west - TULA area).

2nd Panzer Group was pushing between Moscow and Kaluga in this game, due in part to 4th Panzer Group remaining with AGN.

very interesting what will happen next!
Good Game!

Waiting on turn 28.
I have the next two AAR posts mocked up, but don't want to reveal my dispositions beyond this point.

Turn 26

Leningrad sector.
AGN continues trying to hold the line. Strong unit concentrations mean slow going, but we intend to press with the mass we have while the weather advantage holds.



Farther south in the Kharkov sector AGS keeps her mechanized formations on the line.
Upon further consideration, the largely unknown units around Kharkov are likely all Axis allies, as it appears the Germans are working hard to keep them off the front lines.
Since the counter offensive at Moscow is occurring above the Axis Ally limit line these reserves should pose no threat to our operations.



In front of the Stalino metro area the Germans have tried to straighten their lines.
Stalino is worth victory points each turn in the Bitter End scenario, so we will continue pushing each turn toward this objective.
Not optimistic we can actually take it before our advantages fade.
Nothing of note in the Crimea.





Moscow sector.
South of Lake Ilmen the Germans have rotated an infantry division from the river line to the rough terrain west of the breakout.
Additionally, the 14th Mot Div is shifted back toward Velikie Luki, with 18th Mot Div pulling out of the salient and nearer Rzhev.

Volkhov Front resumes the attack, pushing on both Rzhev and now also threatening Velikie Luki.



An incredible stand by Der Mensch, General Balck, rallying the Latvian SS Mot Bde stymies further exploitation to the west when he manages to halt Bobkin's hasty attack.



Otherwise the attacks go splendidly, and Vasilevsky proudly reports his cavalry scouts are at the outskirts of Rzhev.
Rokossovsky's advance on the western wing is now a mere 20 miles from their rail line objective.

Zhukov is feeling the heat to meet this pace in the southern pincer.
In front of the southern pincer the Germans pull their panzers out of the developing encirclement and try to form a new line.
Zhukov's efforts are divided along two axes. First hammering the infantry that defend the route to Vyazma, and secondarily to hammer the German's 3rd and 4th Panzer Divisions.
2nd Shock Army's motorized formations are able to participate in combat this week, and an additional STAKVA army is brought up to add pressure in the direction of Bryansk.



A second army of reinforcements, reporting to Moscow MD, is sent to reinforce the northern pincer while Kalinin and Western Front keep up the pressure in their respective sectors.
The rapid advance of Vasilevsky and Rokossovsky have resulted in 5 German infantry divisions being isolated.



Status of northern pincer's principle forces:



Status of southern pincer's principle forces:



Destroyed units:



Ground losses:



Weekly Axis losses:



Weekly Soviet losses:



OoB:



Weekly Axis OoB flux:



Weekly Soviet OoB flux:



Overall strategic map at the end of turn 26:

Turn 26 progress relative to Zhukov's pre-battle plans:



STAVKA remains optimistic that by the end of the month the rail line objectives will be met and the airborne guillotine can be dropped.