Tophat1812(REDS) vs Moses(Krauts and friends)

[Avenger]

I haven't played on the Russian side but here is what my game appeared to look like from the German side.

First, I made an attack across the channel from the south west tip to the lower left of Odessa, but I couldn't get any units to advance that way. The unit just wouldn't go past that channel. I had to go completely round that little tributary even after clearing out the area. I would say that you don't need to defend that.

Odessa gets supplied by sea and if you get trapped there you can leave by sea transport. After surrounding the AI player he just left the city.


My thoughts.

[ComradeP]

In the Mogilev area, try to remove the Lehr motorized brigade with some of the forces from the Vitebsk area, and then pile on the motorized division (you could also try to remove the 9=9 infantry, but the motorized division is far less sturdy) south of your air base. Move the Western Front tank division 1 hex to the north and with a bit of luck you should be able to cut off the Panzer spearhead after removing the two units mentioned earlier. He'll be out of supply on the other side of a major river. Form a thin screen of units around it and let him suffer.

In the AGS area, move some of the units that can't get out of the pocket to the west to annoy him. If he attacks them, they may rout and move out of the future pocket. Try to attack the 5=5 motorized division, which will isolate a Panzer division. Feel free to direct a large amount of violence at those 2=2 Romanian divisions. Attack them, withdraw behind the river. You have a win and some extra morale, they have a loss and lose morale.

If the Romanians near Kishinev and Odessa cross the major river by themselves, pile on them. You might even isolate and destroy them.

[Jim D Burns]

ORIGINAL: Tophat1812

Smolensk front,here he comes in south of the gap between rivers.

He's done it again, pocket those Panzers if you can, stuff as much stuff in the breach between them and his infantry that you can. It’ll stop him in his tracks especially since he’s on the wrong side of the river to help reopen the lines, major rivers play hell on panzers without fuel.

I'd occupy the two hexes south of Proskurov as well if you can, two turns in a row he's left that panzer group in the south exposed to encirclement.

Jim

[Tophat1815]

ORIGINAL: ComradeP

In the Mogilev area, try to remove the Lehr motorized brigade with some of the forces from the Vitebsk area, and then pile on the motorized division (you could also try to remove the 9=9 infantry, but the motorized division is far less sturdy) south of your air base. Move the Western Front tank division 1 hex to the north and with a bit of luck you should be able to cut off the Panzer spearhead after removing the two units mentioned earlier. He'll be out of supply on the other side of a major river. Form a thin screen of units around it and let him suffer.

In the AGS area, move some of the units that can't get out of the pocket to the west to annoy him. If he attacks them, they may rout and move out of the future pocket. Try to attack the 5=5 motorized division, which will isolate a Panzer division. Feel free to direct a large amount of violence at those 2=2 Romanian divisions. Attack them, withdraw behind the river. You have a win and some extra morale, they have a loss and lose morale.

If the Romanians near Kishinev and Odessa cross the major river by themselves, pile on them. You might even isolate and destroy them.

ComradeP,I agree with you 100% I cannot fathom after last turn and I cutoff his mobile forces in the south,why in the world would he throw those panzer divisions across a major river and leave them vulnerable to isolation. I'm not going to destroy them,but I'm going to severely limit their ability to move forward....which is my objective to buy time.

So after my move screen-shots to follow before I am AWOL for the holiday.

[Tophat1815]

ORIGINAL: Jim D Burns

ORIGINAL: Tophat1812

Smolensk front,here he comes in south of the gap between rivers.

He's done it again, pocket those Panzers if you can, stuff as much stuff in the breach between them and his infantry that you can. It’ll stop him in his tracks especially since he’s on the wrong side of the river to help reopen the lines, major rivers play hell on panzers without fuel.

I'd occupy the two hexes south of Proskurov as well if you can, two turns in a row he's left that panzer group in the south exposed to encirclement.

Jim

Yea,I can't fathom it either after pocketing him last turn and more or less halting the southern offensive. So I'll try my luck at another turns delay.

[Jim D Burns]

ORIGINAL: Tophat1812
Yea,I can't fathom it either after pocketing him last turn and more or less halting the southern offensive. So I'll try my luck at another turns delay.

Given how aggressive your opponent is and how lax his flank security is, I'd rail a few Cavalry divisions up north around Pskov and a few more around Vitebsk. They can zoom through rough terrain and they may get lucky and catch his HQ's, rail repair units and airbases left exposed and unguarded through an open flank in the rough terrain.

Normally I wouldn’t risk it but given how aggressive and focused his advances are you might get lucky. Just an idea that might help slow the tide. Air recon heavily the turn you want to move them though, to help reduce the risk of a wasted effort.

Jim

[ComradeP]

I'd advise against isolating a unit/group of units with a stack. Just use a single unit. Soviet units are fragile, and it isn't cost effective to use an entire stack. At worst, the stack is a minor inconvenience to him, but you'll probably take some heavy losses when it's attacked.

[Tophat1815]

Some of my units are still frozen so my fallback line is not properly filled-out,yippie. I have more divisions forming around Leningrad so i will play it by ear for now.

I like Jim's pulling a Jeb Stuart with my cavalry divisions in the Germans backfield plan. I have cav moving forward but It'll be another turn or 2 before they are up to strength and in position.

[Tophat1815]

Forgot the screen shot.........DOH!

[Tophat1815]

Alright,finished my turn and took screen shots need to post them after Tomorrow. Attacks went not so well but did manage to isolate some axis divisions. The Luftwaffe rained destruction on my armor and mobile forces during my attacks. The stinkin Romanian armored Division even held its ground and i hit him with a Mechanized corps!

[randallw]

Best for Soviets to wait on attacking until the weather turns bad.
 
If you play as the Axis you'll notice that German units tend to have experience ratings around 80; as the Sovs you see they are usually around 30-35.  So there you go.

[kfmiller41]

Have to agree with everyone else, he has taken a big risk putting those units across the river on so narrow a frontage. You can definitely cause him trouble and delay him some more there.

In the south your doing way better than I have in holding him up and battling. Just be careful of your line north of vinnista. If his recon sees that and he decided to punch thru there you could end up with a bigger pocket, seeing how aggressive your opponent is, it could happen[:D]

[randallw]

There's only a few Soviet divisions near the border worthy of going on the attack; these have the T-34s, 28s, and KVs.  The rest of the armor is thin armor cav tanks, DD tanks, some flamethrower tanks.  Of course if you use them to attack they'll get tired out, and they'll get hurt worse once the Germans hit back.

[kfmiller41]

True, but it is also trading men for time. It depends on where the fight is and how much is at risk. Alot of those soviet troops are gonna die anyway so if they can cause another weeks delay it is worth it. Several ways to play it out[;)] and it depends on your mindset[:D].

[Tophat1815]

Well the Finn's are in now and I'm falling back in what i hope to be a methodical manner. Naturally the fortress units will buy time for whats mobile to drop back. That is on the Northern Front screen shot not shown here. In the Leningrad area i have shell divisions filling out while the more combat worthy are moving forward to delay my opponent. Frankly I had thought he'd be closer to Leningrad and go for taking that city in 41'.

[Tophat1815]

here is where the Finn's have come in turn 4! I am falling all units that can move back to a shorter frontage. Some of my units are still frozen,we shall see what next turn brings.

[Tophat1815]

The soviets did have some limited success here this turn. We isolated a mobile and panzer division as well as a Panzer Corps HQ! Limiting those formations supplies will buy me another turn with luck before Leningrad is directly threatened. I need to get the forts around Leningrad up to level 5 asap.

[Tophat1815]

Again a mixed bag,my aerial recon shows he is not in strength north of Vitebsk.

[Tophat1815]

Not happy here at all,I threw a whole mech corps at the Lehr pzbdg and got them to retreat! That was good but my follow on forces didn't have enough movement points/morale or whatever to attck after moving into the hex vacated by Lehr! So I only surround with a ZOC the forces Moses has over the river.

I have more divisions on the way to the Smolensk area,but many are shells and i need 2 turns to fill out these divisions.

[Tophat1815]

Yes i am moving troops out of the Marshes! Yes the Germans have cut off direct rail retreat for the far western forces and extrication if possible will be slow.

In the Gommel area yes I am using airborne troops,yes they are valuable and cannot be replaced. Simply at the moment i have no one else available in that area so they pull the duty.