GC 41 2ndAcr (G) vs Oleg (R) No Oleg please

[2ndACR]

Well, the 11th Army break is the weakest. Main thing is to get thru the level 3 and level 4 forts he built down there. The break thru across the Dnepr proper has the 2 Panzer Corp sitting just east and south of Gomel to head south. The breakthru above that one, can move south if I need it to, hate to do that, but it is very tempting. That is a lot of units around Kiev.

[2ndACR]

Game on hold due to lost turns on Slitherine Server.

[raizer]

ORIGINAL: 2ndACR

He does not want to lose Leningrad or allow me to link with Finns that is for sure. Been a slog up there since turn 4. He has put up a really good defense over all. He is quick to spot the impending pocket coming and starts the fall back to new positions. He gets a lot to safety, but will sacrifice units to hold me as long as possible. If I had another infantry Corp or 2 up there, I could smash him. But the front is already too long for a decent coverage IMO.

I know people do it all the time, but I hate holes in my line that a sneaky human could slip thru.

-maybe assumed your XLII would be up there instead of way south, I know with all this emphasis on the forum about taking leningrad being a must, which I think is proving almost impossible against a good soviet player, especially those who reinforce it, its looking like a good thing the XLII isnt in the swamps, and all those small rivers and rough terrain and heavy woods, and that they are down in the steppes

[2ndACR]

We are back in business.

I knocked a hole on the north side, but he stopped me. But in the south, I ripped thru and have 2 div almost to the northern side. They ripped thru a bunch of air fields and captured about 100 tons of fuel.

He either pulls back completely from Kiev or I will bag a ton of units.

[BletchleyGeek]

Wow 2ndACR, that's definitely what I would call "hardcore mechanized action". I'm having a game with sitito who has a very similar approach to the one you've shown on this game.

I like a lot your play style, and I think I know how Oleg feels right now [:(] I guess he'll end up using checkerboards to slow you down once his Ukraine defense collapses (something which is about to happen).

Your losses are very similar to those of my opponent at this stage. BTW, how does the Luftwaffe look on your game? How high are your operational losses?

Anyways, a great game a pleasure to watch

[2ndACR]

BG (name is too long to spell)[:D]

Thanks, well, it is my last gasp of offensive ops, so going for broke with this one. If it succeeds, that is alot of units I will bag.

I will have to grab a screen shot because I have no clue on air losses at all, never really check them. LOL

[BletchleyGeek]

ORIGINAL: 2ndACR
BG (name is too long to spell)[:D]

No problem mate "BG" looks like Battle Group, which sounds nice as well.

ORIGINAL: 2ndACR
Thanks, well, it is my last gasp of offensive ops, so going for broke with this one. If it succeeds, that is alot of units I will bag.

That was a very bold move. Will be interesting to see how he will react. If I were him I would switch to checkerboard south of Dnepropetrovsk to switch as many forces as possible north to cover Poltava. I would also muster all the forces downstream of Cherkassy to crush with a Bear hug that PzDiv you splitted in to KGs. Expect that unit to suffer very heavy losses. KGs can be pushed around like a rag doll. He'll probably isolate the PzDiv and the MotDiv around Sumy and Poltava. If Oleg's mindset right now is what I imagine, he'll apply a LOT of pressure on them.

All in all, it's probable that you'll get a whole PanzerKorps mauled. But you just rendered irrelevant his Dnepr line. That's very huge and exposes him to suffer devastating losses in a couple turns.

I also see he used his cavalry to bolster his frontline. Too bad for him: I always try to keep them as a second echelon. As pointed out by BigAnorak and Flaviusx they're the only mobile forces you can count on to counter this kind of offensives. They'll would have been very useful to make you pay dear for your mischief [:'(]

I saw you sent one (?) PzKorps to the Lake Ilmen - Seliger sector. Now I guess you miss those panzers south of Smolensk, don't you? [:)]

ORIGINAL: 2ndACR
I will have to grab a screen shot because I have no clue on air losses at all, never really check them. LOL

Be careful with that. German air production is ridiculous compared with Soviet's. You'll have a tough time if by autumn the only planes flying over Russia are the ones with red stars on their wings.

[2ndACR]

Turn 17

He pulled back the Kiev pocket before I could close it. I got about 12 div that will die.

But I am firmly across the Dnepr and he is out of his forts. Rats.

[Mynok]

Well...now you will definitely get an isolated Panzer or 3. With all that cav in the area, you might find it a bit sticky extracting that one near the Sula bend. I'd hook those OKH troops up to a real HQ before trying to free them up.

He clearly used rail movement to extract most of his troops. Tough that you couldn't bust that rail line with 2nd Panzer.

[2ndACR]

Those units are assigned to a Corp HQ that is assigned to OKH. All units except 3 up north have Corp HQ assigned.

Yep, 2nd Panzer got stopped cold at that river line.

[2ndACR]

Another mud turn.

Kiev pocket slowly being reduced with heavier losses due to mud. Can not be helped, I need to start winter preps. I am going to try and grab Smolensk during snow, but I am not sure I can grab it.

Forts along my rear have reached level 3 and level 4. I have not decided if that will be my primary defense line yet or fall back. I am thinking fall back position.

No way will Oleg allow me to rest all winter. He is going to come at me full bore, bank on it.

[2ndACR]

Another mud turn has come and gone.

Next turn will be Nov. Time to dig in and prepare to take my lumps for 13 hard turns.

Looks like it will be the Dnepr again for a defense line.

[2ndACR]

Turn 25

The blizzard is upon me. This will not be pretty at all. ZOC is killing me extracting my armor up north. Now they risk being cut off. Trying to pull them back ASAP. Defense lines are weak at level 2 and 3. I have a 2nd Line at level 3 50 miles back all built in towns to fall back on when I need to.

I forgot to grab screen shots, but will next turn.

[2ndACR]

Turn 26

He launched a few attacks, threw one division back.

I have managed to evac my trapped Panzer Corp to safety finally.

Here are my defense layout for this game. Not great because I pushed longer than I should have.

North Zone 1

[2ndACR]

North Zone 2

I need to fill that gaping hole somehow.

[2ndACR]

Central Zone 1

[2ndACR]

Central Zone 2

[2ndACR]

South Zone 1

[2ndACR]

South Zone 2

[2ndACR]

Turn 30

He is launching very small attacks in the Central zone and slowly pushing me back.

But the main action is in the South. He is hammering 11th Army hard. Only the mountain boys are slowing him down any. Of course he has yet to slam into a full strength German Mountain div yet. But he will soon. I have newly arrived Infantry div heading down to help stabilize the front.