1.04 The Wolf and the Bear (no Gids)

[Q-Ball]

Question for the testers or powers that be: Why is Tarhunnas's armaments so low? There are now nearly 500,000 Germans and Hiwis, waiting to be issued Rifles.

Germans should run low on Manpower, but not Armaments. What gives with this? Granted this was an earlier start, but shouldn't increased Armament production be helping Tarhunnas out by now?

[Flaviusx]

This game proceeded to the point where the shortfall in armaments was so huge that merely patching over to 1.05 wouldn't cover it. The longer you played with the old bug, the worse the shortfall would be.

To put things right, I think the game would need to be hotfixed with an armament dump of several hundred thousand points in the German pool.

The lack of armaments is also part of the reason I'd be willing to write off these formations down south and run like hell to the Dnepr. The Wehrmacht is bleeding and can't even keep up to strength what it has. It's got too many formations covering too long a front. Drastic economies need to be made here. The Red Army will just grind the Whermacht to a pulp as thing presently stand, and the Germans will eventually collapse like a bad souffle and then it will be a non stop march west with nothing but logistics to stop the Red Army.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 144. March 16 1944.

Stubbornness has its price... A nasty little breakthrogh. And I can hardly both rescue my surrounded units and counterattack the breakthrough. Maybe time to follow Flaviusx advice and write them off...

[Tarhunnas]

Map after Axis moves. Fortress area lower Don is left to fend for itself, while the rest of Army Group A withdraws. As can be seen, defense lines are being prepared to the rear. As soon as mud strikes, we will pull back to the Dnepr and fortify that position thoroughly.

[BletchleyGeek]

Nice to see you're still fighting it out around Stalino

How's the health of the Wehrmacht going? Do you think a Minor Victory is still feasible? I'd be starting to count VP's...

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: Bletchley_Geek

Nice to see you're still fighting it out around Stalino

How's the health of the Wehrmacht going? Do you think a Minor Victory is still feasible? I'd be starting to count VP's...

Well, it's on a downward curve. I am praying for mud. [&o]

[Tarhunnas]

The south after Axis moves turn 145.

The retreat continues. If mud doesn't come soon we are in trouble...

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 147. April 6 1944. Mud, finally, at least on part of the front.

Here is the south after Axis moves. Unfortunately, the weather in the far south went from snow directly to clear (How realistic is that? One would think that at least one turn of mud in between would be reasonable). A general withdrawal to the Dnepr is in progress.

[Tarhunnas]

In the north, most units are in static to limit attrition. The line is starting to be outflanked to the south however...

[Tarhunnas]

Losses during the Axis turn. Some counterattacks burn the Soviet spearheads.

[leehunt27@bloomberg.net]

Great AAR.  I am in a 1942-1945 campaign as the Germans right now and these Arnamenents problems are not inspiring...  However I've noticed if you can avoid major blunders most Russian attacks can be parried... for a while at least.
 
How is your Luftwaffe holding up?

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: leehunt27@bloomberg.net

How is your Luftwaffe holding up?

Well, I am not an expert on the air side of things, but it seems to be doing ok. Here is an OOB from turn 148.

[Tarhunnas]

And here are air losses so far...

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 148. April 13 1944.

Here is the weather! This just isn't fair! Snow on the most important part of the front! It should be mud! What did we Germans do to deserve this?

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 149. This spring is not like other springs! [:(] All snow and no mud, even though it's April 20. Map after Axis moves. Withdrawal to the Dnepr is in progress. The troops have just celebrated the Fuhrers birthday.

Note that a brave garrison is holding out on the shore of the sea of Azov (ok, they happened to be surrounded).

[sillyflower]

ORIGINAL: Tarhunnas

Turn 148. April 13 1944.

Here is the weather! This just isn't fair! Snow on the most important part of the front! It should be mud! What did we Germans do to deserve this?

you agreed to use the wretched random weather [8|]

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: sillyflower

ORIGINAL: Tarhunnas

Turn 148. April 13 1944.

Here is the weather! This just isn't fair! Snow on the most important part of the front! It should be mud! What did we Germans do to deserve this?

you agreed to use the wretched random weather [8|]

Actually, random weather can be an advantage to either side, depending on luck, though I think the fact that the Soviets move second tend to give them a long term advantage, wether the weather is random or fixed.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 150. April 27 1944.

Another turn-jubilee! This is the first time I have reached turn 150!

On the ground, a reassuring blanket of mud covers Russia! At last!

Below an overview of the front. Note that a bulge has developed at Vyshni Volochek. I am loth to pull back, as most units there are in excellent fortifications, and they are static. No problem with the APs, but I want to keep them in static to cut down on attrition.

[Tarhunnas]

Not everyone has cause to celebrate however. A Soviet offensive during last (snow) turn cut off some units, and during mud it proves impossible to save them all. Map after Axis moves.

The retreat to the Dnepr is continuing, and hopefully we will have decent fortifications in place when the mud is over.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 151. Mostly mud, so we turn to production. The pool of unemployed is increasing relentlessly. Almost half a million young Germans are spending their youth in the barracks playing cards and waiting for a rifle, and their ranks are swelled by idle Hiwis from the east. A lost generation!