Disaster in the making. Oloren (axis) vs Terje (USSR)

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

Great job almost finishing...are you going to try the other side next game?

Yup, next AAR will be "in reverse", deal allready made with Oloren.


Terje

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: Tophat1812

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

Great job almost finishing...are you going to try the other side next game?

or are you going to try again as the Russians now that you have a better idea of how to play them?

That will have to wait as the next one will see me and Oloren switch sides.


Terje

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: randallw

The Finns are probably a little surprised their involvement in the war has gone so long. [:D]

Not only that, but now they are by far the most effective fighting force within the Axis command [X(]

Terje

[AFV]

FYI- Gimp is a wonderful free program that would allow you to piece together screenshots.

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: AFV

FYI- Gimp is a wonderful free program that would allow you to piece together screenshots.

Thank you. Will have a look!
[&o]


Terje

[terje439]

Turn 220

Overall
The Axis fall back in the south and try to reform, but we keep advancing and pushing them back. The big news is from the south where some of our mechanized corps report a breakthrough, and that they have stopped at the Rumanian border, well behind the enemy line. This turn saw a total of 143 attacks, but too many held results. The complete list is 32 held, 98 retreat, 12 rout and 1 surrender. Losses are still somewhat light. Seems the Axis troops are low on men;
Axis : 83.000 troops and 338 AFVs.
USSR : 95.000 troops and 393 AFVs.

Units
4 TACs are sent to the reserves. Alot of our transports are low on morale, but I need those C47s to keep on flying in fuel to our advanced troops. Our groundforces report a growth of 32.000 troops this turn.

Pools
With 130.000 workers reporting to the manpower pool, it ends at 5.633.
Vehicle pool : 297.928
Armaments pool : 978.305.

Liberation
Our glorious troops liberate Novgorod and Kishinev.

Units destroyed
The 111th Infantry Division, the 292nd Infantry Division, the 126th Infantry Division, the 1/46th SP Flak Company and the 6th Fortified Zone all surrendered this turn.

Axis VP
175

Partisans
The Axis chase away 4 units, leaving 10 on the map. Our guys manage 4 acts of sabotague.

[terje439]

Turn 221

Overall
The Axis manage to fall back into Rumania, guess they are somewhat better than my guys were in -41 at reopening ZoCs. We manage 143 attacks this turn, scoring 21 held, 106 retreats, 14 routs, 1 shatter and 1 surrender. Some sectors are harder to attack than others (see map in next post). Axis losses are still low;
Axis : 75.000 troops and 353 AFVs
USSR : 95.000 troops and 445 AFVs.

Units
4 TACs are sent to the reserves. We manage a net growth of 35.000 troops for our ground units.

Pools
133.000 workers arrive at the manpower pool, ending it at 4.138.
Vehicle pool : 299.969.
Armaments pool : 970.086.

Liberation
We retake Pskov!!

Units destroyed
The 2/1st Hermann Goring panzer Division and the 7th Rumanian Infantry Division both surrender, and the 3/37th SS Cavalry Division shatters this turn.

Axis VP
174.

Partisans
8 units are left on the map after the Axis chase 4 units away. Our guys manage a 100% result this turn as they manage 8 sabotague actions.

[terje439]

Combat sectors

[Peltonx]

Losses do seem amazing low for sure 143 attacks.

Great job by the way getting this far.

You did about normal for 1941 by holding Moscow.

Had and average Blizzard and army was just over 7 million, which seems to be the number if you hold Moscow during 1941.

You did better then average during spring.

Your 1942 was not that great, but you seemed to be in good shape as Qball and others pointed out.

You seemed unable to hold the GHC back during 1942/43 winter.

The big thing I saw was allot of brigades on the map late 42. So I am guessing your down fall during 1943 was because of what you built or did not build in 42.

What would you have done different?

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: Pelton

1. Losses do seem amazing low for sure 143 attacks.

2. Great job by the way getting this far.

3. You did about normal for 1941 by holding Moscow.

4. Had and average Blizzard and army was just over 7 million, which seems to be the number if you hold Moscow during 1941.

5. You did better then average during spring.

6. Your 1942 was not that great, but you seemed to be in good shape as Qball and others pointed out.

7. You seemed unable to hold the GHC back during 1942/43 winter.

8. The big thing I saw was allot of brigades on the map late 42. So I am guessing your down fall during 1943 was because of what you built or did not build in 42.

9. What would you have done different?

1. I am guessing that it might have to do with low number of men in the Axis units, but I am not sure.
2. Thank you [:)]
3. Yes, although I think my losses in -41 overall was a little too high. What it seems I did manage to do well was factory evacuation.
4. Not really, my forces were not prepared to attack, so I should have inflicted heavier losses on the Axis there I think.
5. Really? I lost more units in -42 than in -41 I believe. I feel -42 was when the game was lost.
6. Well I never felt I was, but I see some of the problems a little clearer now. My troops were not properly dug in, atleast those in the rear, so the Axis could simply push them away too easily.
7. Yup. My front fractured too easily, hence my (continued) fear of leaving divisions on the line.
8. Absolutely, but at the same time, my building programme was dictated by a few things;
-the need to replace lost units
-the need to have troops on the map to slow down the Axis
-the ammount of available points.
9. Alot hehe, but I will list the major points below;
a. No corps, not even a guard corps is worth trying to relieve if doing so might cost you another 3-5 corps
b. Get some units behind the lines and let them rest and refit before the blizzard in -41
c. Start actively changing units between refit/ready mode from the start of the game
d. Build less tanks and more mechanized corps
e. Build more breakthrough artillery divisions
f. Build more SUs, espesially heavy tank units.
g. Realize that I play the USSR and not the Axis -> although a plan with long red arrows showing an intended encirclement, that is not as easy for the USSR as for the Axis (or I might just be lousy at it).
h. Pay more attention to aerial units, and spend some points on upgrading them. No need to use some 700kg maxload TRS when you have 400 C47s ready in the pool.
i. Do not build corps before they are at their cheapest (no more 20 points rifle corps), with a few exceptions (as a reaction force).
j. Pay more attention to what general goes where, and this time start at the top and work my way down when assigning them.
k. As others have pointed out, let the Axis run along in the forest east of Leningrad if they want to, nothing there anyway, so no need to keep stacks with 2 rifle corps per hex there.
l. Do a better job at managing my fronts. During -41 and -42 my fronts looked like they were coloured by Stevie Wonder.
m. Try to keep my Cav alive for use later in the war.
n. be better at adapting, meaning I might give up an extra city or two to save the armed forces.



Hmm...Seing as Oloren is allowed to read this AAR in a few days, and I then take him on again in reversed roles...Should I be posting this? [:D]


Terje

[Tophat1815]

Not bad at all considering where you were in the early dark days of 43'.[;)]

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: Tophat1812


Not bad at all considering where you were in the early dark days of 43'.[;)]

True, and had I had 6 more months the Axis would have been in poor shape. Seems this is the way to go for the Axis, the longer they are able to keep attacking and pushing the USSR back, the better their chances in the end, as the USSR will have to spend time moving back through enemy ZoCs.


Terje

[terje439]

Turn 222

Game patched.

Overall
The Axis once more manage to reform and form a sort of line. Although their CV is not high, I must now attack across major rivers all along the front, which means not many MPs are left after the attacks are made. We are inside Rumania, but I doubt I can make it flip before the game ends. Next turn should see some more VPs go our way, but nowhere enough. We see a new all time high in number of attacks this turn, 238! Results are not too bad, although I am still annoyed when a 6:1 pre battle CV ratio gets adjusted to 1:3...Results were 2 scouted, 24 held, 197 retreat, 12 rout, 3 surrender. Losses are still light since alot of the retreat results would result in 50-80 Axis casualties;
Axis : 84.000 troops and 410 AFVs.
USSR : 95.000 troops and 412 AFVs.

Units
4 TACs are sent to the reserves (should just let them die considering the fact that there are 2 turns remaining, but oh well...). Our groundforces claim a net growth of 35.000 troops.

Pools
135.000 workers arrive at the manpower pool, ending it at 5.165.
Vehicle pool : 306.559.
Armaments pool : 979.311.

Units destroyed
The 208th Infantry Division, the 1/391st Infantry Division, the 3/711th Volksgrenadier Division, the 3/216th Volksgrenadier Division, the 7th Hungarian Infantry Division and the the 20th Hungarian Infantry Division all surrender to our armed forces this turn.

Axis VP
174.

Partisans
The Axis chase 5 units away, leaving us with 10 active partisan units on the map. Our guys perform 7 acts of sabotague this turn.

[Tophat1815]

Can we get a look at the current frontline? How many turns are left 2?

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: Tophat1812


Can we get a look at the current frontline? How many turns are left 2?

Ah no pre-end turn save I am afraid.
Game ends at or after turn 225 (not sure which), so yes, 2 more turns.
I should manage to take 4-5 cities I think, and push the border back to a line running from just east of Leningrad to the Pripjet to the Rumanian border and somewhat into north-eastern Rumania.


Terje

[AFV]

Looks like your opponent will get a minor victory. However, you really did well, and I think you (and myself from following this) learned a lot.
And I think you had a lot of fun, so- you get a major victory!

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: AFV

Looks like your opponent will get a minor victory. However, you really did well, and I think you (and myself from following this) learned a lot.
And I think you had a lot of fun, so- you get a major victory!

Yes, this will be a minor Axis victory, but I did indeed learn alot, and I have tons of fun nevertheless.
Thank you for the kind comment [&o]


Terje

[terje439]

Turn 223

Overall
We push into Rumania, cut off some forces here and there and push further north towards Leningrad, but we will not be able to take the city(/-ies) in time at all. Once more we make alot of attacks, a total of 182 this turn, for a score of 1 scouted, 27 held, 141 retreat, 12 rout and 1 shatter. Losses are still very light on the Axis side;
Axis : 70.000 troops and 294 AFVs.
USSR : 103.000 troops and 430 AFVs.

Units
Our ground forces claim a net growth of 29.000 troops this turn. No more R&R passes are to be given for now.

Pools
Vehicle pool : 311.119.
Armaments pool : 976.726.

Liberation
Our valiant forces retake the cities of Zhitomir and Vinnitsia.

Cities captured
The Rumanian cities of Galati and Braila are occupied by the Red Army.

Axis VP
170.

Units destroyed
The 1/37th SS Cavalry Division, the III/1st Heavy Nebelwerfer Battalion and the 1st Hungarian Mountain Brigade all shatters this turn.

Partisans
5 units are chased away, leaving 7 units on the map. Our guys perform 2 sabotague missions this turn.

Misc.
1. I think Rumania flipped and that all but the NW'most city had a garrison in it (it looked so at the end of the turn as the hexes changed colours).
2. A pre-endturn save exists, so this is the time to ask for a specific screenshot.

[Tophat1815]

Screenshot the front and especially Rumania! Thanks by the way,loved this AAR!

[terje439]

Well, since I did not understand anything about Gimp just by looking at it, this will be done the same as before, by several screenshots.

I