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RE: 8MP T45
Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2018 5:26 pm
by Zorch
ORIGINAL: Telemecus
Turn 44 23-April-1942 Soviet Turn
Disaster - Don bridgehead lost again!
We really should have taken more notice of those approaching Soviet Guards cavalry corps!
Having got a bridgehead in blizzard, lost it, then got another one in mud, now we have lost that one too. Turn 44 by normal weather patterns would be the last to see the river Don frozen - from now on it will not only have unfrozen but the floating ice will make it completely impossible to cross.
There are many ways to describe this, but none better than Oscar Wilde's Lady Bracknell:-
RE: 8MP T45
Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2018 8:05 pm
by Sammy5IsAlive
IMHO by 1942 it is pretty difficult for the Axis to do much from a single hex bridgehead assuming the Soviet lines are not already disrupted and in retreat.
Once the weather clears do you think you have enough offensive power to bully/panzerball your way to Tambov without it turning into a Kursk 43 style slog? If you can get there the defences along the Don down to around Boguchar are outflanked and could become a bit of a trap for the Soviets. Plus once that line goes pretty much everything further south that is west of the Don is threatened with encirclement.
Also if you can get to that area around Tambov the Soviets will have to be defending against three different potential offensives from that 'base camp' - an attempt to clear out the Soviets south of the Oka which would give a secure northern flank and free up forces to strike south; an offensive aimed at encircling forces in the clear hexes west of Saransk/Penza/Saratov and the aforementioned offensive outflanking the line along the Don.
RE: 8MP T45
Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 12:17 pm
by Telemecus
ORIGINAL: Sammy5IsAlive
IMHO by 1942 it is pretty difficult for the Axis to do much from a single hex bridgehead...
defences along the Don down to around Boguchar are outflanked and could become a bit of a trap for the Soviets. Plus once that line goes pretty much everything further south that is west of the Don is threatened with encirclement.
Also if you can get to that area around Tambov the Soviets will have to be defending against three different potential offensives from that 'base camp' - an attempt to clear out the Soviets south of the Oka..
An extremely good post and a lot to consider - indeed players of the game may well say prophetic as you have hit some of the themes of the next few turns which we have already played but yet to post in the AAR. So hold these thoughts as in future turns of this AAR we will be returning to them.
RE: 8MP T45
Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 12:34 pm
by Telemecus
Turn 45 29-April-1942 Centre
There have been 3 commanders for the centre. Stelteck, Crackaces, and beender. Crackaces returns to the centre this turn.
original:Crackaces
The strategic plan for the center since the start of the winter has been "not a step back." At least the Germans will have to be pushed back and the Center will not voluntarily give up hexes. The reason for adopting this strategy is rooted in three strategic principles unique to this particular game.
1. The Soviets start their winter offense with about 5.1M manpower in TO&E. The AAR's show much promise for manpower 6M and over, and debatable promise for manpower of 5M and under. More so, this is a harsh first winter but no +1 attacks. That means the Soviets have to concentrate more CV into locations they want to advance, and cannot rely on +1 to move German units. I believe very simply that the Soviets do not have enough manpower to conduct a threating blizzard offense.
2. Given #1 above, the Soviets will have to rely heavily on cavalry units. They have limited replacement. Matching up mountain units with the right support units will extract a heavy toll for any ground gained.
3. The Soviet air force is very weak. This will not affect the winter per se, but ground saved during the winter will quickly be advantageous to the Luftwaffe come first clear turns. There are multiple targets that if a staging base were placed in the right spot - the Soviets would be in a severe disadvantage.
The cost of this strategy is blood and treasure. The Soviets will grow in numbers and the disadvantage shown in guns to men ratios will eventually correct. The winter is particularly harsh to AFV's as damaged AFV's often become destroyed during the logistics phase. However, this particular situation demonstrates the benefits of a German Blizzard offense that outweighs the potential risks.
The strategy played out as Telemecus and beender previously posted for the center. The Soviet offense was met with counterattacks. The cost was high but the Germans held precious ground for the Spring 1942 offense. More so, the Luftwaffe is in range of multiple lucrative targets as the blizzard and mud will end soon.
Below are the plans suggested by Centre. Staff at OKH did ask what the difference was between some of them, but Centre assured us they were as different as night and day!
original:Crackaces
The picture below shows the decided effort. The armor will come out to play later. A series of attacks starting at the Oka southwards produces routs as well as moving Soviets rearwards. Two such battles are shown. One in the North is a rout (actually the one above is a rout too). The big battle in the center is a simple retreat 2.01:1 odds with equal losses on both sides.
The picture above also shows a healthy reserve. Deploying armor in a blizzard has a cost in damaged and destroyed AFV's. Enough armor is deployed to achieve a measured response to the Soviet position but not so much we take unnecessary AFV losses. The reserve is in position to react to the anticipated Soviet moves. Rather than retreat - we are moving forward in the blizzard.
RE: 8MP T45
Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:22 pm
by Zorch
ORIGINAL: Telemecus
Turn 45 29-April-1942 Centre
Below are the plans suggested by Centre. Staff at OKH did ask what the difference was between some of them, but Centre assured us they were as different as night and day!
Someone get carried away with the arrow marker? [:D]
RE: 8MP T44
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 8:27 am
by leverkuhn
ORIGINAL: Zorch
Will he get a spaghetti bonus when commanding Italian units?
In fact he has already asked for italian food and wine to be provided to the whole Army Group A for the summer campaign. He is expecting "immediate and tangible" morale improvements throughout the front.
RE: 8MP T45
Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 10:42 am
by Telemecus
RE: 8MP T45
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 6:42 pm
by Telemecus
While the Soviet team reorganises, our troops take some time to relax.
Q: Buddy, do you have a light?
A: Will this flame thrower do?
RE: 8MP T45
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 1:16 pm
by thedude357
Turn 45 Army Group South
This turn sees a mixture of snow and mud in the South. Plenty of action forcing the bridgehead expension around Voronezh. Some serious attacks against guard units by 3rd Panzer Army. Tremendous amounts of German artillery and cold steel are used to ROUT guard units and RETREAT others. You can never ever have enough artillery. This time the bridgehead will hold, the panzers will ensure it.
In the far south in Crimea, 11th Army has staged and is ready to strike Sevastopol. Ground bombing attempts to soften the Soviet defenders up, but the infantry attack will have to wait until clear weather.
RE: 8MP T45
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 2:31 pm
by Telemecus
ORIGINAL: thedude357
attack will have to wait until clear weather.
Clear weather you say? It will take considerably longer than that. [:D]
RE: 8MP T45
Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2018 11:50 am
by Telemecus
So ...
we captured a bridgehead in snow - lost it
we captured a bridgehead in mud - lost it
and now when the weather should have made crossing the Don impossible a freak blizzard froze the river again and
we captured a bridgehead in blizzard
Will it be third time lucky? Will we stop losing our bridgeheads? Will the Soviets stop us taking them?
RE: 8MP T43
Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2018 6:10 am
by timmyab
Turn 45 Army group North
A blast of cold air from the North freezes the ground and allows X corps to make progress East of lake Ilman threatening to encircle Soviet forces. Unfortunately the cold weather is not forecast to last into next week.
RE: 8MP T45
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2018 1:11 pm
by Telemecus
Turn 45 29-April-1942 Air
There is no red air force detected on the map apart from one base of reconnaissance placed in the far north. Unluckily for them on the very last hex just in range of our Heinkels - is nowhere safe?
RE: 8MP T45
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2018 1:18 pm
by Telemecus
Turn 45 29-April-1942 Economic
Blizzard means there is only just enough to keep the damage levels on the T-70 factory at Gorky high. So far since v1.11.02 we have had only one turn of it expanding.
The Rumanians though can keep building damage levels in the Caucasus where it is a European weather zone.
RE: 8MP T45
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2018 3:07 pm
by Telemecus
Turn 45 Allocations
For information only - team allocations for turn 45.
RE: 8MP T45
Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 2:10 pm
by Telemecus
Interesting developments from this turn - and will shortly be announced.
8MP T45-54 The Dream
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 2:50 pm
by Telemecus
Introducing T46-T54 The Dream
In turn 54, in the future of this AAR, many new players joined the Soviet team and asked for the game to be rolled back to a start on T45. So in effect once we put T54 back to bed and went to sleep, we awoke to find that the turns 46 to 54 we had played had in fact been a dream - and we were back on T46 again!
Nevertheless with much of the AAR written up we will be posting what happened in the dream fork of this game. Once that is complete we will be returning to this point in the game for the reloaded game.
Bobby Ewing may have thought he made TV history - but compared to this that was nothing [:)]
RE: 8MP T45-54 The Dream
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 4:48 pm
by EwaldvonKleist
A lucid dream.
RE: 8MP T45-54 The Dream
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 5:30 pm
by Zorch
You have entered The Twilight Zone...
RE: 8MP T45-54 The Dream
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:56 pm
by Crackaces
ORIGINAL: EwaldvonKleist
A lucid dream.
I am very sad I will not be facing my nemesis .. you made the game both challenging and enjoyable. It would have been nice to see how it could have turn out .. now to”perfect” turns 46 - 55 again .. I am sure the Soviets will do things differently but so will the Germans and I suspect the Germans will be in a better position.. I hope it goes further this time ..
I long for the game Steph and Steltrck played ..
