SCARZ (Axis) vs. AURELIAN (Soviet)

[Scarz]

AGS – III Mot Crops took Belgorod and fanned out to the northeast of the city. This is more bark than bit, but I hope that the threat to the escaping Russians to the back left will force them to continue to retreat all the way to Kursk. Both 1 Pz Grp infantry corps arrived just south of Belgorod this turn, so I feel better about how thinned out and brittle the panzers are at this point.

[Scarz]

17 Army advanced east toward Stalino and captured Dnepropetrovsk. XIV Mot Corps is still located in the south and is in dire need of rest, so they hold in place and will be ready next turn to advance east or go north and support the rest of 1 Pz Grp.

[Scarz]

AG Anton – The 3 Rum Army eliminated the scattered Russian divisions trapped last turn, while 11 Army and 3 Rum Army reach the Russian Dnepr line north of the Crimea.

Hurrah, the Italian expeditionary force has arrived! I assigned this force to AGS, and I will probably have them garrison Odessa and Ochakov. The cavalry may be sent off to conduct anti-partisan duties in the Soviet Garrison Box.

[Scarz]

Air Recon – As can be seen from the 2 Pz Grp screen shot, most of the fleeing Kiev units will make it back to Russian lines. I just don’t think 2 Pz Grp and III Mot Corps (1 PG) will have the movement to extend the pocket to the north in order to trap these escaping units.
Air War – In an attempt to see how far the retreating Russians (from Kiev region) have made it up through the gap between AGC and AGS I flew two recon missions of medium intensity; one south of Kursk and one to the northwest of Kursk. In addition, I set a small air superiority mission over Smolensk and a little to its north. AGN also flew two low intensity recon missions along the Russian main defense line and into their rear areas.
The Russians bombed Pskov this turn, assumedly aiming for the rail yards. However, JG 54 flew in force in response shooting down all 50 Russian bombers. The Russians also flew interdiction missions at both of 4 Pz Grp’s panzer corps with limited results.

At Velikie Luki the Russians heavily bombed the rail yards with good effect. I had stationed a LW mixed flak unit in the city, but clearly one was not enough. I will assign another flak unit to stiffen the air defenses. Same with Vitebsk, I had assigned a LW mixed flak unit to the city, but it was not enough, Russian bombers successfully bombed the rail yards, although JG 51 sent up four fighters in defense and shot down 12 bombers.

The Russians also flew lots of interdiction missions on the panzers around Sumy in an effort to aid the extraction of the fleeing Kiev forces. And in the south, the Russians flew multiple missions against the Kremenchung rail yards to good effect for the loss of about 50 bombers.

The Russians lost 843 pilots and 988 planes this turn, so it seems like a good day for the Luftwaffe.

Ground Losses – I don’t have enough experience with the game to tell much from these numbers, but total ground losses seem to favor the Germans at this point. I doubt Russian losses are crippling, but they seem significant.

[Scarz]

TURN 10

AGN – 4 Pz Grp pushed up the main rail to Ropsha, and 36 Motorized Division cut west to Oranienbaum. I had planned to veer to the northeast, but the temptation to cut off the Russian grouping around Slancy was just too tempting. Unless the city is poorly defended, 4 Pz Grp will skirt the city to the east and aim for Mga.

I am really regretting the loss of two infantry corps from 16 A defending the eastern flank at Staraya Russa down to Velikie Luki. Once 9 Army gets a chance, they will divert an infantry corps to free up one 16 Army corps.

[Scarz]

AGC – 3 Pz Grp and 9 Army are still fighting to try and close the pocket around the Smolensk defenders. Sadly, I was able to cut the units off, but they have a hole to slip through, so the fighting will continue next turn. Additionally, the three Russian divisions in Smolensk don’t seem any less formidable after being out of supply for two turns. I will give it one more turn then send in the assault troops of XXXXII Corps (9 A), and I went ahead and assigned the corps the siege mortars and K3 gun battalion.

4 Army is still holding the line between 3 Pz Grp and 2 Pz Grp with two corps, as XXXXIII Corps advances on Orel. 2 Army was tasked with reducing the isolated Russian units to the west of Sumy, as the XXXV Corps (2 A) advanced along with XII Corps (2 PG) on Kursk.

[Scarz]

2 Pz Grp is out of gas and exhausted, so they are resting in place.

I started a new supply line from Minsk with FBD 3 heading to Gomel. It’s probably too late, but I feel obligated to try something to get the supplies moving, and I will need it for winter in any event. FBD 2 connected the rail to Krichev, and I established a depot there, and FBD 2 will continue to stretch the rail down to Unecha.

[Scarz]

AGS – I was forced to send the Rum Mnt Corps back to hold the eastern side of the pocket containing the final retreating Kiev units. 6 Army is closing in from the west and will be sent to the Belgorod/Kharkov area.

[Scarz]

3 Rum Army and 16 Army advance toward Stalino, but they are extremely low on supply, so the speed of the advance is much reduced.

1 Pz Grp is almost completely out of fuel, so they are resting in place. Both 1 Pz Grp’s infantry corps advanced north and are approaching Kursk from the southeast.

[Scarz]

AG Anton – The 4 Rum Army and 11 Army crossed the Dnepr north of Kherson, but they are feeling the supply crunch too and advance slowly.

Air War – Air losses were pretty heavy this turn as I used a lot of ground support in the north and around Smolensk. The Russians also lost a lot of aircraft, but of course can afford to replace the losses more easily. The FBs groups (ZG 26 and SKG 210) finally returned from retraining as fighters. One group deployed to support AGC and one to the AGN area.

[Scarz]

TURN 11

Supply – Supplying the panzers and now the arriving infantry has become acute in the south and around Kursk.

[Scarz]

Air Recon Results – AGN flew two recon missions east and southeast of Leningrad. Results show that the Russians still have significant forces southeast and east of the city. In the AGC sector I flew one recon mission at and west of Orel and AGS flew one recon mission at and east of Kursk. The Orel results are probably not showing what is truly in the vicinity of the city, but the Kursk mission shows significant forces between Kursk and Stary Oskol.

[AlbertN]

What spurred the decision to end the game at T12?

[Scarz]

Air Recon Elsewhere

[Scarz]

I think the Russians felt like they had made some blunders, and of course the Germans were out of gas!

[Scarz]

AGN – Russian forces from the Kingisepp area collapsed back to the fortress at Oranienbaum and isolated the 36 Motorized Division. 1 Panzer Division relieved the isolated motorized division and together with 6 Panzer Division cut off the Russian forces to the west of Leningrad. As there is a port at Oranienbaum, I assume these divisions will get some supplies, but 18 Army will attempt to eliminate them quickly, or at least corral them up near Oranienbaum.

LVI Mot Corps drove into the Russians defenses on the outskirts of Leningrad, capturing Kolpino and pushed up to Mga. Finally, AGN formed a new depot at Soltsy with the hopes of improved supply.

[Scarz]

AGC – In the 3 Pz Grp and 9 Army area the isolation of the Smolensk grouping held. I was very surprised that the Russian did not re-establish contact, although four attacks were made against the northern portion of the pocket. 9 Army will cement the closure of the pocket and begin reducing it immediately.

My best guesstimate is the Russians lost around 14-16 divisions in the north Smolensk pocket this turn, with three left inside the city itself. While the long delay at Smolensk seems a bit of a setback, the large haul of prisoners may have made the month wasted worth the effort.

I thought three turns was enough time to allow for the Smolensk defenders to go without supplies, and made an assault this turn with XXXXII Corps, but the assault was repulsed with heavy losses.

To the south of Smolensk, 4 Army is still holding the area between 3 and 2 Pz Grps, as XXXXIII and VII Corps advanced toward Orel and stopped once they hit the Russian line.

[Scarz]

In the 2 Pz Grp area, 2 Army eliminated a couple divisions and began concentrating south of Kursk. 2 Pz Grp held in place again, they had moderate fatigue and are still virtually out of fuel.

[Scarz]

AGS – 1 Pz Grp is also out of fuel, and the infantry units are extremely low on supplies. The panzers concentrated at Belgorod (XIV Mot Corps is still south near Dnepropetrovsk) to await resupply while the infantry pushed up to just southeast of Kursk.

[Scarz]

17 Army, also very low on supplies, stopped their advance eastward and will rest this turn. The Rum Cav Corps pushed east instead in a reconnaissance role.