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This turn certainly put a bit more wind in my sails. Cut off 2 MD 1PD near smolensk. Cut off wiking in the south. Routed a 3rd MD. Really helps.

Ground Losses

Air Losses

Destroyed Units

The magic germans managed to dodge every bullet.

I managed to break open the smolensk pocket and counter encircle 1 PD and 2 MD.

We had to hit the 20th MD with everything we had but we managed to route them. It is a small victory but the small victories help morale.

The counterpockets around smolensk.


The situation at the end of the turn.

In the south we kept trying some more encirclements. We rushed forward and tried to tie ara's hands a bit


We did manage to cut off Wiking. I hope this will cause ara to slow down and be a bit more cautious.

With the wiking situation i had 9th Army that was trying to protect the flank of odessa. With odessa captured i was able to shift them to help keep wiking under wraps.

Hearing from ara he is a bit unhappy with the turn. He's bummed about all the units i cut off so that makes my day a lot brighter. He also said leningrad is going to be a slog this time instead of an easy right hook around ilmen and a cut off rail line.

He said he broke through to the units around smolensk. But we have held him up a few turns now.

Yeah I like it when I upset my opponents, it means I'm doing something right for a change.
[8D]

It's difficult for the Soviets in summer 41 to hold an encirclement of German units.  But you can delay them with this tactic as you just did.  Well done.

Ground Losses


Air Losses


Destroyed Units

North of Map


As we see it looks like he was able to push 4 hexes down the line. Now he's only 2 hexes from cutting the rail line. I'm contemplating pulling out. What do you guys think? In every other game i lose leningrad and i'm not sure if i want to suffer the loss of the 500,000 men in northwest & northern fronts.

Center

South

I wouldn't pull out of Leningrad completely. I noticed you haven't fortified the "Back Door" hex at all, though, so you will fall quickly to siege if he reaches Lake Ladoga. If I am him, I don't bother getting to the Svir, and instead go straight for the Neva.

That being said, I would pile-on that spearhead along the Volkhov, and I would pull back out of the bulge to the West of that for the most part, though leave a line of units along the Rough and in front of Kolpino/Pushkin. There are a series of swamp hexes to the NW of that spearhead; have a unit in all of them. Make him fight to Ladoga. Don't worry about defending the spearhead to the SE, around Lake Ilmen; a Panzer thrust in that direction wouild be doing you a favor, and at any rate, they are fixed on Leningrad.

Make sure you get all the Cavalry out of that bulge, and over the Volkhov; those are the most valuable units.

But your're doomed up there regardless. I wouldn't send anymore reinforcements, because once Leningrad falls, you can just pull back into the endless forests up there.

Yea i goofed up with the new fort rules. Next game i'll probably have a better handle on it. Though in every game with ara so far this is the one where at least leningrad didn't fall to a surprise thrust somewhere i was not expecting it.

What is the back door hex you're talking about? Having lost leningrad every time perhaps its a concept i need to pay attention to

I think the back door hex Q-ball is referring to is across the Nerva getting the port.  Don't be to hard on yourself about Leningrad.  I've yet to see a capable axis player not take it if he really pushed for it.  That appears to be what is happening here.  I would still make him pay for every inch, but get the good units out.  You only need cheap infantry units in key locations.